Earthquake rattles the largest volcano in the world

Today’s earthquake was felt all over the island of Hawaii and its epicenter was in Pahala on the southeast coast of the Big Island. Photo: USGS

A 4.5-magnitude earthquake hit the Big Island of Hawaii this afternoon, shaking the world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa. Initially rated as 4.1, the USGS upgraded the quake to a magnitude 4.5 event, which occurred at 4:32 p.m. EDT / 10:32 p.m. ET, at a depth of more than 20 miles. . The quake was felt across the Big Island, the strongest to hit the area in over a month, and one of the strongest to hit the area in the past 12 months.

While the earthquake was strong enough to be felt throughout the island of Hawaii, it was not strong enough to generate a tsunami. However, the earthquake was strong enough for the National Weather Service’s Tsunami Warning Center to issue a bulletin, in which the earthquake was recognized but the risk of any tsunami was ruled out. “No tsunami expected. Repeat. No tsunami expected. However, some areas may have been shaken”, stated in the bulletin. “This will be the only statement released for this event unless additional data is received.”

The summit of Mauna Loa volcano is dusted with snow in this image taken earlier this year. Photo: Weatherboy

The epicenter of today’s earthquake was near the town of Pahala on the southeast coast of the island of Hawaii. Scientists believe that the magma that supplies the volcanoes of Mauna Loa and Kilauea is traveling deep into the seismically active city.

While neither Mauna Loa nor Kilauea is currently erupting, the US Geological Survey is warning people to prepare for the inevitable eruption of the massive volcano.

Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on Earth, rising to 13,681 feet above sea level. Mauna Loa rises from the ocean floor in the middle of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of about 3 miles. Due to the large mass of the volcano, the ocean floor below Mauna Loa sinks by another 5 miles. According to the USGS, this places the summit of Mauna Loa at 56,000 feet above its base; The massive volcano covers half of the island of Hawaii, also known as the “Big Island of Hawaii”.

In a recent press release, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists warned, “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 a plan Volcanic eruption in advance helps in case of emergency.”

Mauna Loa 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

According to the USGS, while Mauna Loa is not currently erupting, deformation and seismic rates remain high above long-term background levels. GPS measurements continue to show slow, long-term inflation at the summit consistent with the magma supply to the volcano’s shallow storage system. The slight increase in the rate of inflation that started in January continues.

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 one might do in the event of an eruption at times. different from 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, bonds, 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 explosion 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 island’s second youngest volcano, 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. Because the plate is slowly eroding, 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. A lava flow from 1984 extended near the summit while additional fissures pushed 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 island-wide 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 USGS ranked Kilauea as the largest volcanic threat in the United States in its updated 2018 list of volcanic hazards, Mauna Loa is only 16 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 more dangerous.

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

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