A warning has been issued to residents living in the shadow of the world's biggest active volcano after a spike in earthquakes in the area.
Although experts have said an imminent eruption is not certain they say the massive Hawaiian volcano of Mauna Loa is in "a state of heightened unrest".
Hawaii County Civil Defence Agency (HCDA) has organised a number of town hall meetings across Big Island, the home of the volcano, to educate residents about what should be done in the case of an eruption.
Scientists monitoring the volcano have been issuing daily reports on Mauna Loa’s activity since September.
“Mauna Loa continues to be in a state of heightened unrest,” said Ken Hon, chief scientist at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), in the observatory’s most recent report.
However, he noted, “the current increase in activity does not suggest that a progression to an eruption is certain.”
There has been an increased earthquake activity and inflation of the summit. Inflation is when an accumulation of magma causes the ground surface to swell.
The current period of heightened unrest began in mid-September with earthquake rates increasing from 10–20 per day to 40–50 pe day.
“Under current conditions an eruption from Mauna Loa is not imminent,” said Talmadge Magno, Hawai‘i County civil defense administrator.
“We’re reminding people to take this opportunity to register for county emergency alert messages and prepare or review their plans to be ready for any disaster.”
According to the HVO, current unrest is most likely being driven by renewed input of magma 2–5 miles (3–8 km) beneath Mauna Loa’s summit.
Mauna Loa covers 51 per cent of the island’s area, making it hard to predict which areas would be affected if an eruption did happen.
If lava were to break out, local officials would provide specific information about any necessary safety or evacuation measures.
Official Luke Meyers said: “We encourage residents who are concerned about the seismic activity beneath the mountain to explore the ways they can improve their preparedness, including updating their emergency plans, reviewing their evacuation routes near where they live, work, and play, and checking the batteries in their emergency supplies.”
The Hawaiian name 'Mauna Loa' means 'Long Mountain'.
It is among Earth's most active volcanoes, having erupted 33 times since its first well-documented historical eruption in 1843.
HVO will continue to closely monitor Mauna Loa for changes.
The Hawaiian archipelago consists of 137 volcanic islands spanning 1,500 miles.
