Mauna Loa is oozing rivers of glowing lava flowing down the side of the volcano at temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. Instead of scaring people to evacuate the area, it is rather attracting thousands of awestruck viewers who jammed a Hawaii highway where it could soon be covered with lava.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the world's largest active volcano has awoken from its 38-year slumber on Sunday, November 27, spewing volcanic ash and debris into the sky.
Disaster or Nature's Marvel?
The highway in Hawaii's Big Island became an impromptu viewing point for thousands of viewers who wanted to see Mother Nature in action, Phys.org reported. Some left early from work to see the spectacle of the volcanic eruption, while others even came from other parts of the world and was amazed by the bright orange view from their rental house
The lava was flowing slowly down the volcano's slope and was about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Saddle Road. Experts could not tell yet whether the lava would cover the road or not.
The road, which runs through old lava flows, bisects the island and connects the Hilo and Kailua-Kona cities. People who traveled between those cities would have to take a longer route near the coast of the highway becomes impossible to pass.
Ken Hon, the scientist in charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said that the soonest lava flow would get down the road in two days if it continues with its current flow, although it might take longer.
Residents like 66-year-old Kathryn Tarananda of Waimea have set their alarms to see the marvelous sight of the sunrise against the background of the Mauna Loa volcanic eruption She said that it would be a thrill and awe-inspiring to live near the area where they could witness the volcanic eruption.
Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984, and the current eruption marks its 34th since the written record in 1843. It is located near another active volcano, the Kilauea, which has been actively erupting since September 2021.
Officials were initially concerned that the lava flow would head toward the South Kona community, but scientists assured that the eruption migrated to a rift zone on the volcano's northeast flank.
What's Happening Inside Mauna Loa?
Mauna Loa is the Hawaiian word for "long mountain," a perfect name to describe the largest active volcano in the world, according to BBC. Mauna Loa is so big that it comprises almost half of the whole island. It covers 2,035 sq miles (5,271 sq km) of land area and is one off a chain of five volcanoes in the Big Island.
Magma has been welling up underneath the Mauna Loa volcano and its neighboring volcanoes from a hotspot deep beneath the Earth, although no one knows if the said hotspot actually exists.
Volcanologist Dr. Carmen Solana from Portsmouth University said that the hotspots may be caused by the decay of radioactive material within the mantle. She noted that these plumes of magma formed the Hawaiian islands and that the magma welled up in the caldera when Mauna Loa erupted and formed Mokuaweoweo which covers an area of 6 sq miles (15 sq km) and is 600 ft(180 m) deep.
RELATED ARTICLE: Hawaii's Mauna Loa Volcano Erupts For the First Time in Nearly 40 Years, Although Not Yet Threatening Communities
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