Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano in Hawaii, has erupted.
Foreign media say that this volcano has erupted for the first time in 40 years.
The people from around the area where the volcano is located have been warned and it has been informed that there is a risk of ash fall.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the nature of the volcano could change rapidly.
According to foreign media, the volcano’s alert level has also been upgraded from an “advisory” to a “warning” – the highest classification.
The Mauna Loa volcano is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which occupies most of the island of Hawaii.
The volcano rises 13,679 feet (4,169 m) above sea level. And also, covers an area of more than 2,000 square miles (5,179 sq km).
It erupted at 23:30 local time on Sunday (09:30 GMT Monday) at Moku’āweoweo, the volcano’s summit caldera. Calderas are hollows that form beneath the summit at the end of an eruption.
It followed a series of warnings that an eruption was possible after a spate of recent earthquakes in the region. Also including more than a dozen reported tremors on Sunday.
Mauna Loa has an explosive history
Mauna Loa is not known to have produced an explosive eruption since 1843. But there is geologic evidence of some explosive activity in the past 1,000 to 300 years. Geologists have identified at least 4 debris fans comprised of fragmented rock deposits on top of pāhoehoe lava flows that spread from the summit. The largest blocks found in these deposits are as large as 2.2 m (7.2 ft) in diameter and weigh more than 17,000 kg (38,000 lbs). The fine-grained fragments typical of explosive deposits are hard to find. And probably removed by storms, rain, and strong winds that frequently sweep across the summit. Geologists estimate that the 4 sites represent three separate explosive eruptions. This evidence suggests that future explosive eruptions in the summit area are possible. Source: USGS
