Photo: K. Mulliken/USGS/Public Domain / Courtesy
Scientists on Saturday lowered the alert level for the Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii from Warning to Surveillance and said that the first volcanic eruption in almost 40 years could end soon, according to The Associated Press.
The Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) of the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported in a bulletin that the eruption in the area of cracks in the north-east of the volcano continued, but that lava production and volcanic gas emissions had been “considerably reduced”.
“High eruption rates will not resume based on past eruptive behavior and current behavior suggests that the eruption may end soon,” the observatory reported. “However, an inflationary trend from the summit of Mauna Loa is accompanying the decline in activity and there is a small possibility that the eruption will continue at very low eruptive rates.”
Meanwhile, the observatory said, a lava flow front had “stalled” nearly 2 miles from Saddle Road, the vital highway that residents and tourists use to travel between the city of Hilo on the east side of the island and the coastal resorts to the west.
The scientists They said earlier this week that the road was no longer under imminent threat from lava, allaying earlier fears that it could be cut off.
A lava boat
The lava boat that appears in the The following video is one of those in which no one would want to travel . The video was shared by USGS Volcanoes on Twitter and they explained what a lava ship is.
“Seen yesterday in #MaunaLoa: a lava ship rides on the waves! On December 7, a lava ship was seen floating in the channel. Lava boats can form when parts of the lava cone or channel break off and are washed downstream. Hot lava cools on its surface to create that smooth exterior.”
Spotted yesterday at #MaunaLoa – a lava boat ride the waves! On Dec 7, a lava boat was spotted floating down the channel. Lava boats can form when portions of the cone or lava channel break away & are rafted downstream. Hot lava cools its surface to create that smooth exterior. pic.twitter.com/D9gdoFolfq— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) December 9, 2022
Two volcanoes in eruption
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park shared the photo of the two volcanoes erupting at the same time for the first time since 1200. The photo shows the eruptions of the Kīlauea (left) and Mauna Loa (right) volcanoes with the moon setting.
Both 🌋🌋 in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, continue to erupt in tandem for the first time since 2022.
This photo shows Kīlauea (left) and Mauna Loa (right) with the setting mōhala moon.
Plan to visit? Go here first: https://t.co/ctEdfiAciA
📸NPS pic.twitter.com/1CJyVMzmfu— Hawaii Volcanoes NPS (@Volcanoes_NPS ) December 8, 2022
Mauna Loa is among the most active volcanoes on Earth, having erupted 40 times since its first well-documented historical eruption in 672.
It may interest you:
– Hawaii’s Mauna Loa: The largest active volcano in the world erupts for the first time in almost 40 years
2022– Satellite images show the Mauna Loa volcano spewing lava, ash and gas seen from space