Earthquakes increase in magnitude and land swells at the world’s largest volcano; National Park Closes Part of Hawaii Volcanoes Park

This map reflects the epicenter of each earthquake that has occurred around Hawaii over the past 30 days, with orange and red points being the most recent and white points being the oldest. The number of earthquakes has increased in recent weeks around Mauna Loa, which is considered the largest active volcano in the world. Photo: USGS

Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano located on the Big Island of Hawaii, is experiencing potentially alarming signs: Earthquakes are increasing in size while the ground near the volcano’s summit appears to be swelling. While the volcano is not currently erupting, out of great caution, the National Park Service has announced the closure of the Mauna Loa summit area within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The USGS says that while Mauna Loa is not erupting and there are no signs of an imminent eruption at this time, they will update the public on the state of the volcano on a daily basis starting today due to increased activity there. Before today, the USGS simply shared updates on a weekly basis.

The US Geological Survey monitors earthquake activity, land swells, and gas emissions from the giant volcano. While monitoring data shows no significant changes in the past day, seismic rates have increased indicating that Mauna Loa is currently experiencing escalating disturbances. GPS measurements show continuous surface deformation associated with magma chamber enlargement below the summit. When magma accumulates in an underground reservoir prior to an eruption, the Earth’s surface usually swells. Concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as fumarole temperatures, remain constant both at the summit and at the sulfur cone of the upper southwest rift.

“While an eruption of Mauna Loa is not imminent, it is now time to reconsider personal eruption plans. Similar to preparing for hurricane season, having an eruption plan in advance helps during an emergency situation,” HVO said in an earlier statement.

“Due to the high seismic activity on Mauna Loa and as a precaution, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is closing the Mauna Loa back summit until further notice,” the National Park Service warned in a press release announcing the closure of the summit area. “Mauna Loa Trail and Mauna Loa Lookout at 6,662 feet remain open to the public.”

The park closure at Mauna Loa does not affect the roads and trails around Kilauea, an active volcano currently erupting inside a caldera summit elsewhere in the national park.

Mauna Loa volcanic eruptions tend to produce massive, fast-moving lava flows that can affect communities on the eastern and western sides of the Big Island from Kona to Hilo. Since the 1850s, Hilo in eastern Hawaii has been threatened by 7 flows of Mauna Loa lava. On the southern and western sides of the island, Mauna Loa lava flows reached the coast there 8 times: in 1859, 1868, 1887, 1926, 1919 and three times in 1950.

This map shows the response time people can expect based on the Mauna Loa eruptions over the past 200 years. The different sectors around Mauna Loa are colored according to how quickly the lava reaches the populated areas. The warmer the color, the faster the flows will travel. Lava flows on Mauna Loa over the past 200 years are shown in grey, and numbers along the shoreline indicate times of lava moving into the ocean after the vent(s) opened. The large and bold numbers record the average effusion rates of different parts of the volcano in millions of cubic meters per day (Mm3/d). Photo: USGS

The seismic activity has increased from 5-10 earthquakes per day since June 2022, to 10-20 earthquakes per day in July and August, and has reached approximately 40-50 earthquakes per day over the past two weeks. The peak of more than 100 earthquakes per day occurred on September 23 and 29.

The US Geological Survey suggests that people in Hawaii have a “travel bag” stocked with essentials now before the next Mauna Loa eruption. Photo: HIEMA

With another volcano eruption on Mauna Loa inevitable, although the timing has yet to be determined, the USGS is urging people in Hawaii to come up with a personal response plan, prepare a “go bag”, and determine what to do in the event of an eruption At different times of the day or week.

“The most important thing you can do is have a personal response plan,” the USGS says. Document what you will do when a volcano erupts and make sure your family and friends know what the plan is.

The USGS suggests having a “travel bag” in order. “Nowadays, people pack ‘go’ bags with essential items in case you have to leave your home under an eviction order. You may want to include important documents, such as a birth certificate, contract, legal papers, and medications.”

Location of volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii. Photo: USGS

The USGS says that people in Hawaii should develop plans that take into account different types of days and time of day: If family members are at work or school at specific times, the plan should address what people should do and how they should communicate at If an eruption occurs, people are not at home. The USGS says, “It helps to also have a communication plan, so you can connect with those you care about.”

Mauna Loa is one of 5 volcanoes that make up the Big Island of Hawaii. The oldest volcano on the island of Hawaii is Kohala, which is over a million years old. Kilauea is the youngest, with an estimated age of 300,000-600,000 years. Mauna Loa is the second youngest volcano on the island, estimated to be around 700,000 years old.

A series of fissures spewed lava near the summit of Mauna Loa in 1984. A person stands in the lower left of the image. Photo: Griggs, JD/Public Domain/USGS

Mauna Loa is a shield volcano with long and wide cliffs that drop into the ocean. Lava eruptions from Mauna Loa are highly liquid and usually non-eruptive. The magma of Mauna Loa and Kilauea, the last of which has erupted since December, is sourced from a hot spot in the middle of the Pacific Plate. As the plate slowly drifts away, Mauna Loa will eventually move away from the hot spot, becoming a dormant volcano in the next 500,000-1,000,000 years.

Map showing areas covered by lava from the 1984 eruption of Mauna Loa. Photo: USGS

The most recent eruption of Mauna Loa occurred from March 24 to April 15, 1984. Lava leaked from the 1984 flow near the summit while additional fissures led to the flows in the general direction of Hilo. The flows stopped about 4 miles outside the city limits of Hilo. No lava has flowed from Mauna Loa since then.

While scientists are certain that Mauna Loa will erupt, they are not entirely sure when or where the lava from the next eruption will flow. Previous flows affected the communities of Puako and Waikoloa Beach on the northwest coast, Kailua-Kona and Captain Cook on the west coast, Milolii and Ocean View on the southwest coast, and Hilo on the east coast. Because of the wide range of impacts in past eruption events, the USGS is encouraging people at the island level to prepare for the possibility of volcanic activity. In addition to the dangers of fast-moving lava flows, there can be toxic volcanic gases and volcanic fog known as vog, as well as falling volcanic debris such as ash or volcanic glass.

Hawaii also does not have a monopoly on volcanic threats in the United States. While the US Geological Survey ranked Kilauea as the largest volcanic threat in the United States in its updated 2018 list of volcanic hazards, Mauna Loa ranks only 16th on the list. Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainer in Washington, the heartland of Alaska, Mount Shasta in California, and Mount Hood and Three Sisters in Oregon are considered the most dangerous.

Threat rating for American volcanoes: These are the volcanoes with an “extremely high” threat level within the United States Photo: USGS

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos