World's largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, erupts in Hawaii
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Link copied Nov. 28, 2022, 12:09 PM UTC / Updated Nov. 28, 2022, 1:26 PM UTC By Julianne McShane
The world's largest active volcano has erupted in Hawaii for the first time in nearly four decades, officials said.
Mauna Loa erupted at 11:30 p.m. local time Sunday (4:30 a.m. ET Monday), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was the first eruption since 1984, according to its Hawaii Volcano Observatory daily update.
The eruption began in Moku'weoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa, inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the agency said, as it upgraded the volcano's alert level from an "advisory" to a "warning."
"At this time, lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities," the USGS said in a news release. "Winds may carry volcanic gas and possibly fine ash and Pele's hair downwind," it said, referring to a type of lava.
Thermal imagery shows the eruption of Mauna Loa in Hawaii, the world's largest active volcano, on Monday. USGS via AP
Residents at risk from Mauna Loa lava flows were advised to "review preparedness and refer to Hawai'i County Civil Defense information for further guidance."
"Based on past events, the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly," the agency warned. It said that if the eruption remains in Moku'weoweo, lava flows would most likely be contained. "However, if the eruptive vents migrate outside its walls, lava flows may move rapidly downslope," it said.
The most recent eruption followed weeks of warnings from officials that an eruption was possible given a recent spike in earthquakes at the volcano's summit and that residents of the Big Island should be prepared to evacuate, NBC affiliate KHNL of Hawaii reported.
The USGS previously said that "heightened unrest" began in mid-September, when earthquakes beneath the summit increased from 10 to 20 per day to 40 to 50 per day. That unrest prompted Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to close the summit backcountry until further notice, it reported.
Ken Hon of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory had said the earthquakes mainly occurred due to the weight of the mountain slowly sliding toward the ocean, KHNL reported.
Northeast rift zone eruption of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, at 7:15am local time (HST) from a Civil Air Patrol flight by USGS.USGS
Northeast rift zone eruption of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, at 7:15am local time (HST) from a Civil Air Patrol flight by USGS.USGS
In the weeks leading up to the eruption, residents had gathered in the towns of Pahala and Ocean View in October to discuss their concerns about county officials' plans if an eruption were to unfold, it reported.
Hawaii's civil defense agency also held meetings across the island to help residents prepare for a possible emergency, The Associated Press reported.
The volcano, whose name means "Long Mountain," covers half of the island, according to the USGS. Prior to its most recent eruption, it erupted 33 times, beginning in 1843, making it among the world's most active volcanoes. It is one of six volcanoes in the state of Hawaii, according to the agency.
About half of those past eruptions remained in the summit region —which rises about 55,700 feet above its base, according to the USGS — and most others migrated from the summit into one of the rift zones, producing lava flows that covered broad regions on the volcano's lower slopes.
Mauna Loa has started to erupt, prompting volcanic ash and debris to fall nearby.USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory via AP
"Hawaiian lava flows have rarely caused human fatalities, but they can cause extensive damage by covering, burning, and crushing anything in their paths, or starting secondary fires," according to the agency, which adds that interactions between water and lava "can also sometimes be explosive in coastal environments."
When the volcano's northeast flank erupted in 1984, residents had time to prepare, as the eruption occurred in a "higher slope area" and took longer for the lava to travel towards the town of Hilo — the town located in the island's northeast region and home to the Hilo International Airport — former Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim, who was the civil defense administrator at the time, told KHNL. That eruption lasted three weeks, according to the USGS.
CORRECTION (Nov. 28, 2022, 9 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated when local residents gathered to discuss their concerns. It was in October, not this month.
Julianne McShane
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Hopefully, this remains confined to the caldera (as it currently is). There are a lot of people living on the slopes (which can be steep) of that mountain and if the lava leaks out, it can reach the beach in a matter of hours.
The latest report I’ve seen is that the lava is starting to head down the side, but it’s headed toward the saddle area between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, toward Hilo (but not close to the town). That area is pretty flat, which will lead to slower flows. It’s also largely unpopulated.
Kilauea volcano has been leaking into the Pacific on and off for years through a fissure in the East Rift Zone.
Volcano lava reaches the ocean in Hawaii - Bing video
Wow!
Thanx for providing the link to all of those informative videos.
Most people don't realize that the enormous plumes of steam produced when the lava reaches the ocean are highly toxic.
The steam contains a high volume of sulphuric acid so its extremely dangerous.
Yet toward the end of that short video you can see two people on the wrong side of the
"safety barrier" on the cliff's edge looking down to the sea below.
Definite candidates for a Darwin award.
Hah, an image from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I could have won that award. In 1972 I climbed over the barrier and walked to the very edge of the cliff over Kilauea and looked down at the broken floor and crevices that glowed red with the fiery mass below it, and breathed the sulphurous smoke. I was stupidly unaware that at any moment the cliff edge I was standing on could have broken off and I would have fallen into the volcano. The movie could have been not Joe, but Buzz and the Volcano, a sacrifice to Pele.
eeeek, the red wave...
I did not know that. I did get smarter here today
When I was at McMurdo Station, Antarctica there was a active volcano known as Mount Erebus a few miles away from the station. There were steam vents at the base of the volcano and every now then if the wind was right, we would get a slight whiff of sulfer vapors our way.
Buzz the volcano whisperer.
I bet that was a great assignment and I don't mean that sarcastically.
I can truthfully say it was the best four year tour in my 20 year Naval career. It was so unique in that how many people actually have the opportunity to say they have been there. It was almost a fantasy land type of existence. As military personnel we were actually on loan to the National Science Foundation's Division of Polar Programs and our salaries were actually paid by them rather than the DOD. I was in charge of medical supply. If I wanted a particular piece of medical equipment and could justify it all I had to do was get my boss to sign off on it and take it to the comptroller for approval and the funds were released. I had a ball.
I always wanted a blank check in the Air Force. The equipment I could have bought!
Yep, the majority of our emergency gear was bought open purchase out side the military supply system like our defibrillators, rescue gear, operating room monitors, stretchers, I.V. warmers etc because all our funding was non military. I told friends of mine back in CONUS what I had access to and they could not believe it until I sent them pictures. Then they were green with envy. To say we were a bit spoiled was a bit of a understatement!
I bet. Did you have environmental scientists in the Navy? I was a bioengineering technician who basically kept the base in compliance with EPA and OSHA regulations. Did you have those type of staff?
We always had this big thing at the end of the year where we needed to spend the rest of our money in our budget so we wouldn't lose it next year. Every year I asked for new noise dosimeters, air sampling equipment, water testing equipment, computers.....nada. The money was supposed to be spent on office supplies and shit like that.
In the Navy we had enlisted Preventive Medicine Technicians that were responsible for health, water, and food service sanitation among other things. When we deployed to the "Ice" as we called it, we took one down with us who was TDY from another command. The Navy does have Environmental Scientist officer with degrees in such attached to major Naval Medical facilities but we had no need fo one in our command. Our medical department consisted of a Medical Administrative Officer, a Force Medical Officer, a Dental Officer, and 5 enlisted permanently assigned that consisted of two Chief Petty Officers and 1 DT1 (Dental Technician First Class) and two HM1 (Hospital Corpsman First Class). We pulled about 8 others from other commands on a TDY basis for a five month deployment.
I visited the hospital at Edwards Air Force Base once and asked someone why they had such high end equipment staged, strapped down and shrink wrapped in some of the hallways. I asked if they were moving or was there some construction project underway.
"Nope, just bought too much, I can get you a list if you know another military facility that needs something, we deliver".
Naval Air Station Willow Grove was a typical Naval installation, no changes since WWII.
To avoid closure by BRACC it became a joint reserve base with a PA National Guard Air unit.
When you reached the intersection where the USAF property began the contrast was nothing short of amazing. Clean streets, new traffic signs, repaired curbs, manicured grass, shrubbery and trees, marked parking. Inside the building looked like they were built recently, not from the 30's and 40's.
The Air Force seemingly has a different budget process...
Actually I think it was Mauna Loa - the "twin" of Mauna Kea, the two seperated by the Saddle Road.
One of the reasons the Navy had the high end equipment that it had was because of the environment it had to function in, that being the extreme cold temperatures. Standard military issue gear just did not have the tolerances needed in Antarctica. I recall having to call equipment manufacturers and ask them what conditions their products were rated for use in. It was rather amusing when their tech supports people asked why I needed to know and when I told them it was for use in Antarctica some said they had no idea that their products would be in use there and did not know the cold tolerances of their products. In addition, because all funding was provided the National Science Foundation rather than the DoD. We had a standard annual budget that our command comptroller divided into quarterly allotments for ease of disbursement. If I went over my quarterly allowance all I had to do was justify if by my boss signing off on the requisition and funds from the next quarter were released and I could use open source purchase at my discretion. Something I could never do through normal military supply channels.
The same situation with the Naval Base Pearl Harbor and the then adjoining Hickam Air Force Base. When I retired from the Navy at Pearl Harbor, there was a chain link fence and a gate separating the two facilities and you always knew when crossed from one base to another because the Air Force was always much better with base upkeep than the Navy. Instead of two separate bases it is now Joint Base Pearl Harbor - Hickam thanks to BRACC realignment in 2010.
Almost like the Air Force. We had another section called Military Public Health who were in charge of food sanitation. They also took information from our industrial hygiene surveys to determine what physicals squadrons needed. Then those determinations were passed on to Flight Medicine who performed the physicals.
They like to keep things neat. Mr G threw a ciggie butt on the ground and was caught by a colonel. He spent the next day picking up butts. Now he field strips them and puts them in his pocket until he finds a trash can. I do the same
It was probably all xray and MRI stuff.
Mr. G is a stripper? Cool.
Butt, he should quit tobacco.
I substituted cannabis for tobacco.
My breath smells better (butt I don't know where the fuck I am anymore).
It is beautiful in its own way.
not the ideal way to get lava rock as part of your front yard landscaping...
my #2 son has spent the last 6 years performing periodic contract work in hawaii. up until this year he was looking for property to buy since he was spending so much time there. he finally gave up because he said the only prices that were reasonable were pretty close to previous lava flows.
the gods are angry. assemble the state's trumpsters close to the rim... /s
time to sacrifice a virgin
Any volunteers?
Hey, you guys can make fun all you want, but the Hawaiians take their traditions very seriously.
Do not mess with Madame Pele!
yes sir
We've been properly humbled.
Where would you find a virgin anyways?
There used to be a 40 year old virgin.
Butt it's too late.
He's a fucking whore now.
I'll second that, having messed with Madame Pele and suffered the consequences of it. I did the forbidden thing and took home a piece of the lava rock from Kilouea as a souvenir.