Mauna Loa volcano, the world’s largest, erupts for the first time in 40 years

The Mauna Loa of Hawaiithe world’s largest active volcano, has erupted for the first time in nearly 40 years, US officials said Monday.

Lava began to flow around midnight Sunday at the summit of the mauna loaone of the five volcanoes in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, noted the United States Geological Survey (USGS, for its acronym in English) at 23:45 on Sunday (09:45 GMT on Monday), about 15 minutes after the start of the eruption.

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“Right now, the lava flows are contained within the summit area and do not threaten hillside communities.“, He said USGS on its website, and called on area residents to review preparation procedures.

Although the rash on the main island of this remote US state in the Pacific lies within the basin at the top of the volcano, called the caldera“lava flows can move rapidly downslope,” the USGS warned.

This image provided by the USGS Hawaii Volcano Observatory shows a view from a research chamber on the northern rim of Mauna Loa volcano, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (USGS Hawaii Volcano Observatory via AP)

On Monday morning, the volcano monitoring office of the USGS tweeted: “The lava appears to have flowed out of the caldera, but for now the eruption remains confined to the caldera.”

He added that the Volcano Observatory of Hawaii is in contact with emergency management personnel and will conduct aerial reconnaissance over the 4,168-meter-high volcano as soon as possible.

Hawaii authorities said no evacuation orders have been issued.although the summit area and several roads in the region were closed.

A webcam of USGS on the northern edge of the summit of mauna loa It showed long, bright eruptive fissures inside the volcanic crater, which contrasted with the darkness of the night.

The Hawaiian archipelago has six active volcanoes.

Mauna Loa, the largest on Earth, has erupted 33 times since 1843, according to the USGS.

The rash most recently, in 1984, it lasted 22 days and produced lava flows that reached as far as four miles from Hilo, a city currently home to about 44,000 people.

Source: Elcomercio