Mauna Loa: World’s largest active volcano erupts in Hawaii
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, has erupted for the first time in nearly four decades.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the eruption on the state’s Big Island began at approximately 11.30pm local time on Sunday in Mokuaweoweo, the summit caldera of the volcano.
Footage from US Geological Survey (USGS) webcams at the summit captured fountains of lava spewing from a long fissure and spreading across the caldera floor.
The USGS said the lava flows were initially contained in the summit area and do not pose a threat to communities downslope, but there are fears that could change.
At 7.43am ET on Monday, USGS said that “there is currently no indication of any migration of the eruption into a rift zone”.
The eruption has also already triggered dozens of earthquakes of more than 2.5 magnitudes on the Richter scale, one of them clocking in at 4.2.
The local NWS branch issued an ashfall warning which cautioned that “winds may carry volcanic gas and possibly fine ash and Pele’s hair downwind”.
