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Hawaii Mauna Loa
By: Mya Bradford
On Monday, for the first time in nearly forty years Hawaii's Mauna Loa erupted. The eruption started in Moku‘āweoweo and ended up spreading to another part known as the Northeast Rift Zone. Mauna Loa is known as the largest active volcano on the planet. It has erupted 33 times since 1868 which makes it the largest active volcano. The name Mauna Loa means “Long Mountain.” The volcano covers about half of the island and its summit is about 17 km (55,700 ft) above its base.
As of right now, the volcano isn’t looking like a threat to the nearby communities and there are no evacuation orders. They are still keeping a close eye on it because the lava flow can increase rapidly. Even though there is no evacuation order you should still be cautious because the ashfall can damage a lot of things like cars and buildings, contaminate water supplies, disrupt sewage and electrical systems, and damage or kill vegetation. It’s possible that if you come in contact with the lava it could even irritate your eyes or lungs. If you have a respiratory illness you should remain indoors to avoid inhaling any ashes from the volcano and when you do go outside you should cover their mouth and nose with a cloth or mask. “A trace to less than one quarter inch of ashfall could accumulate on parts of the island,” the National Weather Service in Honolulu said.
The lava flows usually don’t cause human injuries but as said before they can cause damage by burning anything in their way. The agency warned that the early stages of a Mauna Loa rift zone can be very dynamic. At the beginning of the eruption it tends to start off with the heaviest volume and then it calms down after a few days. According to www.nbcnews.com, “It could take the lava weeks or months to reach the county seat, Hilo, or other towns on the east side of the island, scientists said.” There are over 200,000 people who could possibly be affected by the eruption. That’s more than double the population 38 years ago when it last erupted. 23,000 people live West of the volcano Kailua-Kona and 45,000 people live in Hilo. The people the residents are the most worried about are the 5,000 people who live in several subdivisions south of the volcano.
Before the actual eruption occurred a series of earthquakes took place that led us up to Mauna Loa erupting. The volcano is shooting sulfur dioxide and volcanic gasses that could be hazardous to your health, which is why you should avoid heavy breathing exercises and outdoor exercise. Its neighbor, Kilauea volcano, has been erupting for more than a year since September 2021. Ian Brown who is from near the Keeau district stated, “The air was not smoky. “The mountain is so high that the smoke dissipated without affecting communities thousands of feet below, '' he said. “Starting at 10,000 feet, it’s above all the residential areas,” he said, “which is why it isn’t affecting any of the communities at the moment. On Monday, the Mauna Loa was shooting lava as high as 200 feet. Volcanic gas, fine ash and Pele’s Hair (strands of volcanic glass) could be carried downwind, the agency said according to www.cnn.com.
Some of the people who live near the volcano are taking precautions and some are going on with their life like normal, but surprisingly the erupting volcano isn’t stopping people from coming to visit it. You may not think it’s a big deal because it hasn’t reached any communities but it is already causing problems. You aren’t able to use the Southwest Airport because it isn’t able to operate at this time due to the eruption. They already had to cancel five flights to and from Honolulu. You may not be able to use the Hilo International Airport (ITO) or the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (KOA) depending on how safe they think it will be.
Sources:
Monica Garrett/Dakin Andone, “Ashfall can damage vehicles and buildings, contaminate water supplies, disrupt sewage and electrical systems, and damage or kill vegetation, the weather service says.”, cnn.com, “Hawaii’s Mauna Loa is erupting for the first time since 1984.” cnn, 28 November 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/28/weather/hawaii-mauna-loa-volcano-eruption 29 November 2022.
Amir Vera/Holly Yan, “A “trace to less than one quarter inch” of ashfall could accumulate on parts of the island, the National Weather Service in Honolulu said Monday.”, cnn.com, “2 new lava flows cascade down Mauna Loa as Hawaii sees neighboring volcanoes erupting.” cnn, 29 November 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/us/hawaii-mauna-loa-kilauea-eruption-tuesday/index.html
29 November 2022.
Julianne McShane and Corky Siemaszko, “It could take the lava weeks or months to reach the county seat, Hilo, or other towns on the east side of the island, scientists said.” www.nbcnews.com, “World's largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, erupts in Hawaii.”, nbcnews, 28 November 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/worlds-largest-active-volcano-mauna-loa-erupts-hawaii-not-publish-pre-rcna54571
28 November 2022.
Camilo Morgan, “Mr. Brown said the air wasn’t smoky. The mountain is so high that the smoke dissipates without affecting the communities below, he said.” “Above 10,000 feet, it’s mostly the residential areas,” he says. ustoday.news, “As Mauna Loa erupts, officials warn of air hazards.” ustoday, 29 November 2022. https://ustoday.news/as-mauna-loa-erupts-officials-warn-of-air-hazards/
29 November 2022.
Amir Vera/Holly Yan, “Volcanic gas, fine ash and Pele’s Hair (strands of volcanic glass) could be carried downwind, the agency said.”, cnn.com, “2 new lava flows cascade down Mauna Loa as Hawaii sees neighboring volcanoes erupting.” cnn, 29 November 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/us/hawaii-mauna-loa-kilauea-eruption-tuesday/index.html
29 November 2022.
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