Week 4 - Mauna Loa

In 2008, I had the opportunity to visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park while seeing some of my dad’s family. The guide led us to the Mauna Loa volcano and explained that it was the world’s largest shield volcano, which are broad, dome-shaped, and characterized by the eruption of fluid, basaltic lava; it is also the largest volcano of the five in Hawaii. It was my first time seeing any volcano, let alone an active one, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Mauna Loa last erupted in the spring of 1984, spewing lava within five miles of the town of Hilo. In fact, a large percentage of the land in Hilo is covered by hardened lava from past eruptions. Shield volcanoes have small amounts of pyroclastic material, which mostly accumulates near the eruption vents resulting from fire fuming events. They typically form from non-explosive eruptions of low-viscosity basaltic lava. I noticed that the slopes of the volcano were quite gradual due to being covered in lava from previous eruptions. Because Mauna Loa is considered a dangerous volcano, geologists put a great deal of effort into researching it. Hazardous possibilities include earthquakes, volcanic air pollution, and destruction of cities by lava. Although we are not yet able to predict the exact time when the volcano will erupt again, another eruption is inevitable according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. It is crucial to monitor earthquake activity in the area because seismic waves could weaken the top of the magma chamber, triggering an eruption.

Picture source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Mauna-Loa