“Hawaii’s skies were ablaze on the evening of November 27, with smoke and a bright red glow heralding the eruption of the world’s largest active volcano,” describe NPR, the site of the National Public Radio, the American public radiowho broadcasts the images on his Instagram account.
This eruption is the first since 1984 of Mauna Loa, a gigantic volcano covering an area of 5,000 square kilometers on the island of Hawaii, nicknamed the Big Island, the largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, United States. The eruption started Sunday evening at 11:30 p.m. local time at the summit caldera Mokuʻāweoweo. At 4,169 meters, Mauna Loa is the second highest peak on the island.
“By 6:30 a.m. on November 28, the eruption had moved into the fault zone to the northeast of the volcano. No property is currently at risk of being damaged. We observe a plume of gas at the level of the eruptive fissures and the lava flows”, indicates the site of the national geological service, the USGS, in charge of monitoring volcanoes in the United States.
Authorities are recommending the most vulnerable residents to stay indoors or wear a filter mask to go outside. Shelters have also been made available, although populated areas are not at risk at this time.
Annunciating earthquakes
The eruption was predictable, report it New Scientist.
“Volcanologists had been seeing a spike in activity for weeks at Mauna Loa, where dozens of small, shallow earthquakes were recorded around the summit in November.”
Also, in recent years, the USGS had observed deeper earthquakes near the volcano, indicating that it was likely ready to erupt. Since 1843, there have been 33 eruptions of Mauna Loa, the most serious being that of 1950, which destroyed homes, the church and the main road of the coastal village of Hoʻokena-mauka.
This brand new eruption, the first in thirty-eight years, does not only raise concerns. On the contrary. For some, it’s even a godsend: companies are already expecting to see the curious and other lava enthusiasts flocking this winter, as was the case in Iceland in March 2021, then last summer. The local news site Hawaii News Now nevertheless specifies: “While the eruption makes small businesses in Hawaii happy, the local Chamber of Commerce says it fears negative repercussions for the economy if the lava came to approach the towns.”