JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Hawaii volcano goes quiet after spectacular display

Hawaii volcano goes quiet after spectacular display

Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 09:36 GMT+7
Hawaii volcano goes quiet after spectacular display
Back to sleep: the giant Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii has finished erupting after a weeks-long display that delighted scientists and tourists. Photo: AFP

The world's largest volcano, which has offered a spectacular weeks-long show in its first eruption for almost four decades, has gone quiet, scientists in Hawaii said Tuesday.

At the height of the flare-up, Mauna Loa spewed fountains of lava 200 feet (60 meters) into the sky, and sent rivers of molten rock gushing down its sides, wowing vulcanologists and helicopter-riding tourists.

Huge fissures on the volcano, which makes up the bulk of Hawaii's Big Island, vented tons of gas, and sprayed slivers of volcanic glass -- known as Pele's Hair.

But on Tuesday, experts at the US Geological Survey said the show was largely over.

"Mauna Loa is no longer erupting," an update said.

"Lava supply to the fissure 3 vent on the Northeast Rift Zone ceased on December 10 and sulfur dioxide emissions have decreased to near pre-eruption background levels.

"Volcanic tremor and earthquakes associated with the eruption are greatly diminished."

But such is the volume -- and intense heat -- of the viscous rock that issued from the Earth's belly, that hot spots could remain visible for weeks.

"Spots of incandescence may remain near the vent, along channels, and at the flow front for days or weeks as the lava flows cool," the scientists said.

"However, eruptive activity is not expected to return based on past eruptive behavior."

Rivers of molten rock are issuing from Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano. Photo: Handout / US Geological Survey/AFP

Rivers of molten rock are issuing from Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano. Photo: Handout / US Geological Survey/AFP

'Long Mountain'

The biggest volcano on Earth by volume, Mauna Loa, whose name means "Long Mountain," is larger than the rest of the Hawaiian islands combined.

The volcano's submarine flanks stretch for miles to an ocean floor that is in turn depressed by Mauna Loa's great mass -- making its summit some 11 miles above its base, according to the USGS.

One of six active volcanoes on the Hawaiian islands, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843.

Kilauea, a volcano on the southeastern flank of Mauna Loa, erupted almost continuously between 1983 and 2019, and a minor eruption there has been ongoing for months.

AFP

More

Read more

Where did dinosaurs first evolve? Scientists have an answer

Dinosaurs long dominated Earth's land ecosystems with a multitude of forms including plant-eating giants like Argentinosaurus, meat-eating brutes like Tyrannosaurus and weirdos like Therizinosaurus, with its Freddy Krueger-like claws. But the origin of dinosaurs - precisely when and where they first appeared - remains a bit of a puzzle

15 hours ago

US to leave World Health Organization on Jan. 22, 2026, says UN

The United States will leave the World Health Organization on Jan. 22, 2026, the United Nations said on Thursday, after being formally notified of the decision by President Donald Trump, who has accused the agency of mishandling the pandemic and other international health crises

16 hours ago
;

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Latest news