Mauna Lao is the world largest active volcano, identified by its rounded slopes, erupting for the first time in nearly 40 years. It is situated at 4170m above sea level, standing at around 4 kilometer tall, covers a land area of 5000 square kilometers.
The eruption began at 11:30pm local time at Mokuaweoweo on 27 November 2022, the summit’s caldera located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii. It is so far confined to the summit area but officials warned the situation. Fortunately, there is no loss of life reported so far for the residents of the big island.
The officials from the US Geological Survey said lava had started to spill out of the summit’s caldera, but there is no evidence of lava erupting from the rift zones.
Although there is no immediate threat to populated area, still shelters have been opened to provide safety for islanders. The medically vulnerable residents have been advised to stay inside or wear mask.
The volcano is estimated to be in existence for 3000 years. Since the beginning of modern measurements and data recording in 1843, it has thrown up 33 times. It was most serious in 1950 when it inundated the coastal town of Hoopuloa within three hours, destroying local highway, houses, and a church. The last eruption was in 1984, Lava flows came within 5 miles of the city of during its last eruption in 1984.
Paul Segall at Stanford University in California says, “This has been on our radar for a while.” Deeper earthquakes around the volcano over the past several years have indicated Mauna Loa might be ready to erupt.
Segall said the eruption may help volcanologist to understand more about the connection between Mauna Lao and the another Hawaiian volcano called Kilauea.
He added,” We don’t really understand the plumbing system where the magma separates to flow to the two volcanos. One theory behind the long delay since last eruption of Mauna Lao was being diverted to Kilauea, which saw a major eruption in 2018 that caused a caldera collapse.
“Statically speaking, this thing is going to be relatively modest,” He said. “ He sees no indication at this point that the Mauna Lao eruption could become as forceful as the 2018 eruption of Kilauea”, he added.
