Hawaii's Big Island gets warning as huge volcano rumbles
Hawaii officials are warning residents of the Big Island to prepare for the possibility that the world’s largest active volcano may erupt given a recent spike in earthquakes at the summit of Mauna Loa
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hawaii officials are warning residents of the Big Island that the world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, is sending signals that it may erupt.
Although an eruption isn’t imminent, scientists are on alert because of a recent spike in earthquakes at the volcano’s summit. Experts say it would take just a few hours for lava to reach homes closest to the volcano, which last erupted in 1984.
“Mauna Loa makes up 51% of the Hawaii Island landmass. So anywhere within that 51% could be impacted by an eruption,” said Talmadge Magno, the administrator for Hawaii County Civil Defense. “Not to panic everybody, but they have to be aware of that you live on the slopes of Mauna Loa. There’s a potential for some kind of lava disaster.”
Mauna Loa, rising 13,679 feet (4,169 meters) above sea level, is the much larger neighbor to Kilauea volcano, which erupted in a residential neighborhood and destroyed 700 homes in 2018.
Its slopes are much steeper than Kilauea’s so when it erupts, its lava can flow downhill much faster. During a 1950 eruption, the mountain’s Honokua lava flow traveled 15 miles (24 kilometers) to the ocean in less than three hours.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, said Mauna Loa has been in a state of “heightened unrest” since the middle of last month when the number of summit earthquakes jumped from 10 to 20 per day to 40 to 50 per day.
Scientists believe more earthquakes are occurring because more magma is flowing into Mauna Loa's summit reservoir system from the hot spot under the earth's surface that feeds molten rock to Hawaii's volcanoes.
The temblors have declined in frequency in recent days but could rise again.
——-
Associated Press Writer Mark Thiessen contributed to this report from Anchorage, Alaska.