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A lava flow created after the eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano slowly creeps towards the main highway of the Big Island, the archipelago’s largest island.
The Daniel K. Inouye Expressway on the Big Island is the fastest connection between the east and west coasts of the island. In a latest update on the eruption, the US Geological Survey reports that lava from Mauna Loa approached the road up to 5 kilometers away. Due to the flattening of the land, the velocity of the lava flow dropped to about 40 meters per hour.
The institute expects the lava flow to hit the highway within a week at the earliest. “But this depends on many variables, which could change in the next few hours or days,” the geologists write.
Mauna Loa has been spewing lava since Sunday. It’s the first eruption of the world’s largest active volcano in nearly 40 years.
The natural phenomenon attracts a lot of attention on the Big Island:
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A man talks on the phone in his car, while Mauna Loa’s lava flow can be seen behind him -
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Daniel K. Inouye Highway filled with cars carrying people who wanted to get a look at the eruption -
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People photograph Mauna Loa’s lava flow from afar -
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The orange glow of lava flows and fountains can be seen in many places on the Big Island after dark
Emergency services in Hawaii stress that the lava flows do not yet pose a threat to populated areas of the Big Island, as was the case with the previous eruption in 1984. Then the lava flow stopped about five miles from Hilo, the city largest on the island.
However, two emergency shelters were opened as a precaution.
The eruption will continue for a while, predicts the US Geological Survey. Earthquakes are still observed around places where lava flows out of the earth, indicating that magma is being introduced.
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Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that make up the main island of Hawaii. It is the southernmost island of the archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Measured from the seabed, the volcano is about 9 kilometers high. It stands just over 4 kilometers above sea level.
It is a so-called shield volcano. The eruptions are usually non-explosive. In general, less smoke and ash are also released. Mauna Loa is much larger than Kilauea, the same island’s volcano that erupted in 2018, destroying more than 700 homes.
Pictures of the Mauna Loa eruption:
