US authorities reported early Monday that the largest active volcano in the world, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, has erupted for the first time in nearly 40 years, prompting the activation of emergency response teams.
Some 15 minutes after the eruption inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that lava flows remained “contained” within the summit caldera of Mauna Loa but that the eruption might pose a threat to neighbouring communities should conditions change.
The US Geological Survey has warned locals to evaluate their emergency plans, as “at this time, lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities.”
Although the eruption on the main island of the far-flung US Pacific territory is currently contained within the caldera basin at the volcano’s summit, “if the eruptive vents migrate outside its walls, lava flows may move rapidly downslope,” as the USGS puts it.
Monday morning, the USGS volcano monitoring office tweeted, “Lava does seem to have flowed outside the caldera, but for now, the eruptive vents remain limited to the caldera.”
The agency reported that the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory had consulted with emergency management officials and that its crew would soon fly a reconnaissance mission over the 4,168-meter-high volcano.
Although the summit area and numerous highways in the region are closed, authorities in Hawaii have not issued any evacuation orders.
Web footage from a USGS camera perched on the north rim of Mauna Loa’s summit revealed long, light eruptive fissures within the volcano’s crater, which starkly contrasts with the nighttime sky.
Six active volcanoes may be found throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The largest volcano on Earth, Mauna Loa, has erupted 33 times since 1843, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
This most recent eruption occurred in 1984 and lasted for 22 days, resulting in lava flows that came within seven kilometres (four miles) of Hilo. This city is now home to approximately 44,000 people.