After a couple of months of increasing numbers of daily earthquakes and summit inflation, Big Island's largest volcano started erupting at the summit of Mauna Loa a around 11:30 p.m last nite. The lava quickly built up in the caldera and it has now started flowing along the rift zone of the NE flank of the volcano. Mauna Loa covers 3/4 of the Big Island. It is still erupting inside of Volcanoes National Park, and no communities are in danger, but the residents have been alerted about ash fall and volcanic dust and vapors. They have opened up 2 shelters just in case. The slopes of Mauna Loa are steep and if the lava flow increases, it can reach the ocean in about two hours. Residents have been told to make evacuation plans for weeks. The one thing about Madame Pele is that, she cannot be stopped, you just have to get out of the way.
Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984. That one lasted about a month and followed a similar pattern and direction. That flow stopped just short of Hilo.
It is just one more addition to the volcanism that is happening around the world. Hawaii is on a hot spot in the middle of the Pacific Plate and is not part of the Ring of Fire. There are about 47 volcanoes active now somewhere in the world.
Actually, it is kind of funny. People actually go toward the volcano when it is erupting. I remember in the past when Kilauea erupted the tourists left and the locals drove into the observation center.
Right now the glow from the eruption is visible from Hilo at night. In the daytime, there is only smoke and vog. People are lined up along Saddle Road to watch from afar. Mauna Loa is still erupting now from one vent, the caldera and other vents have ceased. It is a 10,000 ft high mountain and the lava is still confined to the Volcano National Park far away from any homes or towns.
I only get to see it on the news. When the winds are coming up from the south, it can potentially bring the volcanic haze to the other islands. It causes a haze in the daytime and orange sunrises and sunsets and for me it irritates my eyes.
They have advised people who are sensitive to the vog to wear masks and stay indoors or they can go to the shelters. Some flights were cancelled today, but the schools are open and it is more or less business as usual. The vog will have impacts on the farmers if the eruption continues for awhile. It all depends on where the vog and ash drifts.
Right now the glow from the eruption is visible from Hilo at night. In the daytime, there is only smoke and vog. People are lined up along Saddle Road to watch from afar. Mauna Loa is still erupting now from one vent, the caldera and other vents have ceased. It is a 10,000 ft high mountain and the lava is still confined to the Volcano National Park far away from any homes or towns.
I only get to see it on the news. When the winds are coming up from the south, it can potentially bring the volcanic haze to the other islands. It causes a haze in the daytime and orange sunrises and sunsets and for me it irritates my eyes.
They have advised people who are sensitive to the vog to wear masks and stay indoors or they can go to the shelters. Some flights were cancelled today, but the schools are open and it is more or less business as usual. The vog will have impacts on the farmers if the eruption continues for awhile. It all depends on where the vog and ash drifts.
I will only get haze when the winds come from the South. Normally the trades come from the NE, they would blow the haze out to sea.
There are impacts to farm animals and plants if there is long term exposure. Acid rain is one of the problems from the high sulfuric acid content of the air when the volcano erupts. It has been well documented.
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/pd-47.pdf
https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/er/volcanicEmissions
Mauna Loa covers 3/4 of the Big Island and many people live on the slopes of Mauna Loa. Houses were built on 30 year old flows. People living in those areas always know that the volcano will erupt again, but it is not predictable if they will erupt from the old vents or open up new vents. There is always uncertainty where the lava will go. So when lava flows head in their direction, they are naturally very anxious. During the Leilani Estates eruption in lower Puna in 2018, people actually stayed up until the last minute to document the house being destroyed by fire. The house actually starts to burn from the intense heat before the lava touches them. Some fingers of lava stopped just short of some homes and then advanced an over took them. A few houses were not touched at all but it was impossible to get to them since there weren't any roads to get there or any infrastructure left intact.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/11/new-m ... ava-zones/
Hawaii shield volcanoes are the most studied in the world. Scientists sent out alerts from September about the increase in earthquakes and inflation at the summit. They know that lava is moving, but they still cannot predict the exact time or location where the volcano will erupt. They did predict that a summit eruption was most likely and that is what happened. Shield volcanoes are oozers vs explosive like Mt St. Helens, Krakatoa, or Yellowstone. The lava flows can be impressive especially with the fountains. But , lava also is moving underground in the lava tubes you cannot see. Eruptions can be brief or they can be long like the Puu o'o' vent eruption that lasted 35 years and added 439 acres of new land to the Big Island.
Actually Kilauea is also erupting. It is unusual to have two volcanoes erupting at the same time. Kilauea's eruption is confined to the crater and has been erupting since September 2021, so it doesn't really make the news much. The Park is still open although some roads within the park are closed.
The lava flow is about 4.5 miles from Saddle Road. There are contingent plans in case the road is closed. Saddle Road cuts across the island from Hilo to Waimea and runs between two volcanoes. It is the shortest distance between Hilo and Kailua-Kona. There are not a lot of people or communities around it. When I was younger, and we visited relatives, we always took the longer coastal route because in the old days Saddle Road was a dangerous road. It was fixed later and repaved and the bridges repaired, but I have never been on that road.
There are impacts to farm animals and plants if there is long term exposure. Acid rain is one of the problems from the high sulfuric acid content of the air when the volcano erupts. It has been well documented.
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/pd-47.pdf
https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/er/volcanicEmissions
Mauna Loa covers 3/4 of the Big Island and many people live on the slopes of Mauna Loa. Houses were built on 30 year old flows. People living in those areas always know that the volcano will erupt again, but it is not predictable if they will erupt from the old vents or open up new vents. There is always uncertainty where the lava will go. So when lava flows head in their direction, they are naturally very anxious. During the Leilani Estates eruption in lower Puna in 2018, people actually stayed up until the last minute to document the house being destroyed by fire. The house actually starts to burn from the intense heat before the lava touches them. Some fingers of lava stopped just short of some homes and then advanced an over took them. A few houses were not touched at all but it was impossible to get to them since there weren't any roads to get there or any infrastructure left intact.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/11/new-m ... ava-zones/
Hawaii shield volcanoes are the most studied in the world. Scientists sent out alerts from September about the increase in earthquakes and inflation at the summit. They know that lava is moving, but they still cannot predict the exact time or location where the volcano will erupt. They did predict that a summit eruption was most likely and that is what happened. Shield volcanoes are oozers vs explosive like Mt St. Helens, Krakatoa, or Yellowstone. The lava flows can be impressive especially with the fountains. But , lava also is moving underground in the lava tubes you cannot see. Eruptions can be brief or they can be long like the Puu o'o' vent eruption that lasted 35 years and added 439 acres of new land to the Big Island.
Actually Kilauea is also erupting. It is unusual to have two volcanoes erupting at the same time. Kilauea's eruption is confined to the crater and has been erupting since September 2021, so it doesn't really make the news much. The Park is still open although some roads within the park are closed.
The lava flow is about 4.5 miles from Saddle Road. There are contingent plans in case the road is closed. Saddle Road cuts across the island from Hilo to Waimea and runs between two volcanoes. It is the shortest distance between Hilo and Kailua-Kona. There are not a lot of people or communities around it. When I was younger, and we visited relatives, we always took the longer coastal route because in the old days Saddle Road was a dangerous road. It was fixed later and repaved and the bridges repaired, but I have never been on that road.