Aerial view of the crater of the Mauna Loa volcano on Big Island, Hawaii
Mauna Loa is a slumbering monster beginning to stir.
The volcano is 0ne of five that make up the Big Island of Hawaii, and it is not only the biggest of the group, it is the largest active volcano in the world, rising more than 13,000 feet above sea level. But when its massive flanks beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean are taken into account, it rises over 55,000 feet above the sea floor.
Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984 and last year it started to wake up again with dozens of small magnitude earthquakes.
In the past few weeks that rumbling has become more active, increasing from a handful of earthquakes per day in June to nearly 50 each day over the past two weeks.
As of Oct. 6, the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is moving from issuing weekly updates for Mauna Loa to daily updates.
Forecasters stress that the volcano is not erupting, but rather that “heightened unrest continues.”
The HVO currently has a yellow advisory in place for Mauna Loa. When an eruption is imminent or underway it would shift to red.
“Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements show continued surface deformation related to inflation of a magma chamber beneath the summit,” the latest advisory reads.
In the past, eruptions from Mauna Loa have produced a lot of fast-moving lava that can flow in the directions of communities on the east and west sides of the island, including Hilo, home to a University of Hawaii campus.
Lava came close to Hilo during the 1984 eruption, but there was weeks worth of warning in that instance.
Areas on the opposing side of the island, including the resort center of Kailua-Kona, are more vulnerable and could see lava at their front door in mere hours after the start of an eruption.
Eruptions from smaller Kilauea volcano on the island in 2018 destroyed a number of homes.
If there is an eruption, locals can check for updates from the HVO and Hawaii County Civil Defense to stay safe.
