DailyExpertNews
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The world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, is erupting for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Although lava flows down one side of the volcano, the eruption in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park poses no threat to communities, the U.S. Geological Survey said Monday afternoon.
“Everything indicates that the eruption will remain in the northeastern Rift Zone,” the agency said in an advisory, referring to an area where a volcano is splitting, allowing lava flow. “Volcanic gas and possibly fine ash and Pele’s Hair (strands of lava glass) can be carried downwind.”
A “trail of less than a quarter of an inch” of ash could accumulate in parts of the island, the National Weather Service in Honolulu said.
“Passengers flying into Hilo International Airport (ITO) or the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport in Keahole (KOA) should contact their airline prior to going to the airport due to volcanic activity at Mauna Loa,” said the statement. an advice by the National Transport Agency.
Southwest Airlines will not fly from Hilo International on Monday because of the eruption, the airline announced. It has canceled five flights to and from Honolulu, Southwest said.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration “is closely monitoring the volcanic eruption and will issue air traffic advisories once the size of the ash plume has been determined,” it said in a statement.
Reports of lava flowing into the southwestern part of the volcano’s caldera, or crater, have arrived at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency tweeted late Monday morning.
There is no indication of a threat to nearby communities and no evacuation orders have been issued, the agency said. tweeted. Two shelters have been opened as a precaution, even though “about half” of recorded Mauna Loa eruptions remained in the summit area without threatening inhabited areas, according to another agency tweet.
Ashfall can damage vehicles and buildings, contaminate water supplies, disrupt sewage and electrical systems and damage or kill vegetation, the weather service says, while abrasive volcanic ash can irritate eyes and lungs.
“People with respiratory illnesses should stay indoors to avoid inhaling the ash particles and anyone outside should cover their mouth and nose with a mask or cloth,” the Honolulu office warned. “Possible damage to crops and animals. Minor damage to equipment and infrastructure. Decreased visibility. A widespread cleanup may be necessary.”
The observatory previously said lava flows do not threaten downstream communities.
At about 4,000 square miles, Hawaii, or the Big Island, is the largest of the Hawaiian chain, but has a population of just over 200,000 people, according to the US Census Bureau, or fewer than 50 people per square mile. Most of the population lives in cities and communities around the coast.
“Based on past events, the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the location and progression of lava flows can change rapidly,” the observatory said, adding: “If the eruption continues at Mokuʻāweoweo, lava flows will most likely be confined within the caldera walls.
“However, if the eruptive vents migrate beyond the walls, lava flows could move downhill quickly.”
Red hues from the eruption lit up Monday’s morning sky, according to images captured at the Kailua Bay & Pier by Matthew Liano, a resident of Kailua-Kona, along the Big Island’s west coast.
“The glow is like nothing I’ve seen here in Kona for most of my life,” Liano told DailyExpertNews.
The eruption began at Mokuʻāweoweo, the caldera at the top of Mauna Loa, on Sunday around 11:30 p.m. HST (Monday, 4:30 a.m. ET), according to the observatory.
Mauna Loa, which occupies half of the island of Hawaii, has erupted 33 times since 1843, the volcano’s first “well-documented historic eruption,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It last erupted in 1984, making this prolonged dormant period the longest volcano in recorded history.
Mauna Loa’s summit crater is about 21 miles west of Kilauea, a smaller volcano whose eruption spewed lava into the Leilani Estates neighborhood in months in 2018, destroying more than 700 homes and displacing residents.
Mauna Loa was in a heightened state of unrest, according to the bureau, which pointed to increased seismic activity and increased earthquake rates in an update late last month.
According to the US Geological Survey, earthquake activity increased from five to 10 earthquakes per day since June 2022 to about 10 to 20 earthquakes per day in July and August. Peak numbers of more than 100 earthquakes per day were recorded on September 23 and 29, DailyExpertNews reports.
The increased activity prompted Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in October to close the Mauna Loa summit to all backcountry hikers until further notice, though the U.S. National Park Service said most of the park has remained open.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the Eastern Time equivalents for the ash and eruption advice.
