The largest volcano on earth, Mauna Loa, is on Hawaii Big Island. It is one of five volcanoes that constitute the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi in the Pacific Ocean. It is a massive shield volcano formed by countless lava flows.
When Mauna Loa is measured from the base to the top, the stack of lavas estimates more than 56, 000 ft (17,000 m). Thus, it is the highest mountain on earth. The weight of Mauna Loa is so heavy that its load has bent the oceanic crust under the volcano many kilometers downwards into the mantle.
Mauna Loa – Most Active Volcano on Earth
When talking about volcanoes, Mauna Loa is one of the Earth’s most active volcanoes. It has had more than 33 well-documented eruptions in historic times since 1843. In 1984, it had its last eruption. However, Mauna Loa has been exhibiting signs of an apparent awakening since 2004.
The Full Danger of the World’s Largest Volcano
Dominating the terrain of Hawaii and active for the last 700,000 years, Mauna Loa is the biggest shield volcano on Earth (above water). New data have indicated more about what might be sufficient to set off eruptions in future.
Looking at shifts in the surface tracked by GPS and satellite data, investigators have been able to exhibit the progression of magma on the interior of the volcano. They have been able to conclude what would and wouldn’t be likely to accelerate the successive bigger eruption from Mauna Loa.
Earthquake is Likely to Cause an Eruption In Future
Bhuvan Varugu, a geologist at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami says, “An earthquake of magnitude 6 or greater would relieve the stress imparted by the influx of magma along a sub-horizontal fault under the western flank of the volcano.”
An earthquake could trigger an eruption. The scientists inferred that 0.11 square kilometers of new magma streamed into a new spot in the chamber of the volcano between 2014 and 2020, shifting path according to the pressures being placed on it.
These sorts of magma body alterations haven’t been estimated before. Jointly with ground shifts and surface lava flows along the fault the volcano is sitting on, magma intrusions alter the structure of the volcano – and the probability of it erupting.
Falk Amelung, A marine geologist from the University of Miami says, “An earthquake could be a game-changer.”
In addition to the above, volcanologists have realized that eruptions and flank activity are almost related at Mauna Loa, which implies that transformations in these flanks induced by magma injections can make a significant difference in how the volcano behaves.
Has Mauna Loa Killed Anyone Yet?
About 10,000 people lost their lives by the eruption and the tsunamis inflicted by massive pyroclastic flows entering the sea. Farming losses from the thick ash residues occurred in famine and illness, directing to an extra 82,000 deaths.
Has Mauna Loa Affected Humans?
Mauna Loa caused a lot of damage. For instance, it has implicated human health due to volcanic air pollution. It has cut off a lot of their living supplies like water, power, crops, food, cattle etc. While being in progress, it devastated a coastal village, destroyed fishponds and demolished all their possessions.
Mauna Loa under Observation
Following the way of Hawaiian volcano formation, Mauna Loa started as a submarine volcano. It slowly built itself up through underwater eruptions of alkali basalt before arising from the sea via a series of surtseyan eruptions about 400,000 years ago. Since then, the Mauna Loa has stayed active.
The Mauna Loa’s activity has been overpowered in recent years by that of its neighbor Kīlauea.
Since 1912, Mauna Loa has been surveyed intensively by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Observations of the Sun are attempted at the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory and of the environment at the Mauna Loa Observatory. Both are situated near the mountain’s summit.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park encircles the south-eastern flank of the volcano and summit and also incorporates Kīlauea, a distinct volcano.
Is There Likely to be Eruption in Our Near Future?
Mauna Loa’s long record of observed activity supports predicting another eruption. At present, any prediction still includes a high level of uncertainty. Some characteristics of the present unrest are identical to unrest before explosions in 1975 and 1984.
Temporal locations, Earthquake locations, and energy release indicate that the volcano may be pursuing a similar pattern. Other characteristics, however, vary from the periods before the 1975 and 1984 eruptions.
It is also considered that recent unrest might not attend previous patterns, and an explosion could happen without months of high micro seismicity. It is feasible that after years of periodic inflation, shallow magma storage is putting forth pressures near the breaking point of the overlying rock.
Key Takeaways
Although several mountains, such as Mt. Everest in the Himalayan mountain range, sit higher relative to sea level, using the last measure of its height, it is one of the tallest mountains in the world.
All large landmasses, such as mountains, push down upon the Earth’s crust due to their tremendous weight. So, beneath Mauna Loa, the seafloor on which it stands is depressed by an additional 8000 m.
Mauna Loa has probably been exploding for at least 700,000 years. Many have risen above sea level about 400,000 years ago. The oldest-known rock is about 200,000 years old. The volcano’s magma appears from the Hawaii hotspot. This has been accountable for the formation of the Hawaiian island chain over tens of millions of years.
Mauna Loa’s most current eruption occurred in 1984, from March 24 to April 15. No new eruptions of the volcano have resulted in fatalities. Eruptions in 1926 and 1950 devastated villages. The city of Hilo is somewhat built on lava flows from the late 19th century. Due to the risks it poses to population centers, Mauna Loa is part of the Decade Volcanoes program, which facilitates studies of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes.
