Hawaii's Mauna Loa Volcano Erupts For the First Time in Nearly 40 Years, Although Not Yet Threatening Communities

Mauna Loa volcano is erupting for the first time since 1984 or about 38 years since Ronal Reagan was president. Per Futurism, the world's largest active volcano is located on the Big Island of Hawaii and started erupting late Monday, November 28, following a series of striking eruptions in recent years by a smaller and nearby Kilauea volcano.

Authorities, like the US Geological Survey (USGS), are warning Big Island residents to remain vigilant after detecting the eruption. They have not issued evacuation orders yet but advised them to review their preparedness plans. The volcanic eruption this year is just in time for Hawaiian Independence Day.

World's Largest Active Volcano Erupting After Almost 40 Years

According to CNN, the volcanic eruption started on the summit caldera of Mauna Loa, called Moku'āweoweo, at around 11:30 pm HST (4:30 am ET) on Monday, November 28.

USGS noted that the eruption in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is not threatening communities although the lava is flowing down on one side of the volcano. In their advisory, they indicated that the eruption will remain in the Northeast Rift Zone where the volcano is splitting which allowed for lava flow.

They added that volcanic gas, fine ash, and Pele's Hair or strands of lava glass may be carried downwind in which at least one-quarter inch of ashfall could accumulate on some parts of the island.

The state Transportation Department announced in their advisory that passengers with flights to Hilo International Airport (ITO) or the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (KOA) should check with their airline before going to the airport due to the volcanic eruption.

The US Federal Aviation Administration is monitoring volcanic activity and will release air traffic advisories once the ash cloud's size is determined. There is no indication of a threat to nearby communities, so no evacuation orders yet have been issued per the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's tweet.

Experts said that the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the area of lava flows can change rapidly based on past events. Lava flows tend to be confined within the caldera walls, although this could change if eruptive vents migrate outside the walls.

Relationship Between Mauna Loa, Kilauea

Mauna Loa's summit crater is about 21 miles west of the smaller volcano Kilauea whose eruption in 2018 lasted for months and spewed lava into the nearby village, destroying over 700 homes and displacing residents. Meanwhile, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its activity began to be recorded in 1843, wherein the majority occurred before 1950, The New York Times reported.

Jim Kauahikaua, a volcanologist with the U.S.G.S. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, explained that there seems to be some relationship between the two volcanoes, which likely share the same magma source.

Kilauea is an activity volcano that has been erupting continuously from 1983 to 2018 and produced 320,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of lava. But records show that when Mauna Loa was frequently active, the Kilauea volcano tends to be less active, and vice versa.

For now, authorities are watching the Mauna Loa for unexpected risks to know where lava is erupting and how fast it is flowing. Although there is a possibility that new vents will open up where lava could flow.