2022 Mauna Loa Eruption

Mauna Loa

Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano in the world, it covers 2,035 sq miles (5,271 sq km), and is one of a chain of five volcanoes which form Hawaii's Big Island. Mauna Loa's summit is 13,680ft (4,170m) above sea level, but its base is on the sea floor. From there to the summit is 30,085ft (9,170m), making it taller than Mount Everest. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its first well-documented historical eruption in 1843. It has produced large, voluminous flows of basalt that have reached the ocean eight times since 1868. It last erupted in 1984, when a lava flow came within 7.2 km (4.5 mi) of Hilo, the largest population center on the island.

2022 Eruption

At about 11:30 p.m. HST on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, Mauna Loa began erupting at its summit. The eruption then migrated from the summit to the Northeast Rift Zone where fissures are feeding several lava flows. Up till now there have been 4 fissures, fissures 1 & 2 have stoped but fissures 3 & 4 continues to be active with fissure 3 remains the dominant source of the largest lava flow. Fissure 3 lava flows are traveling to the north toward the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Saddle Road) but have reached the relatively flatter ground and have slowed down significantly as expected. The advance of the largest flow slowed over the past 24 hours to a rate of about 0.025 miles per hour (40 meters per hour)

This page will be updated