Scientists say eruption of Hawaii volcano continues to ease
Scientists say the eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island continues to ease
Scientists say eruption of Hawaii volcano continues to ease
Show all 2Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
The eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island continues to ease, scientists said Sunday, reinforcing an earlier pronouncement that the mountain’s first flare-up in nearly 40 years might soon end.
“We have good news to report,” Ken Hon, the scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, said during a briefing. “The eruption is still at an extremely low level at this point.”
Hon said the eruption is contained entirely within the volcano’s cinder cone. The USGS said a small amount of light remained visible at night through a vent in the cone, but the channels below that vent “appear drained of lava.”
The inactive front of the lava flow may inch northward very slowly as it continues to settle, the agency said.
Hon said Mauna Loa’s eruption appears to be ramping down and that nearby Kilauea has now reached a “full pause,” with its lava lake stagnant and crusted over.
Mauna Loa began spewing molten rock Nov. 27 after being quiet for 38 years. The incandescent spectacle drew onlookers and set some nerves on edge among people who’ve lived through past eruptions.
Sunday’s update came a day after scientists lowered the alert level for the volcano from a warning to a watch and said the eruption could be in its final days.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.