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(Trends Wide) — The world’s largest active volcano is spewing lava fountains more than 100 feet high, sending a river of molten rock onto the main road on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The main edge of the lava flow erupting from Mauna Loa is about 7 kilometers from Saddle Road, also known as the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency website said Wednesday morning.
“It does not pose a threat to any community at this time,” the agency said. But parking along the highway is prohibited between mile markers 16 through 31, and any vehicle left there could be towed.
The Mauna Loa eruption propelled lava up to 45 meters high, the United States Geological Survey tweeted. At least one lava flow was several meters thick.
Sharing with you this evening, video from #Long Mountain‘s NE Rift Zone. At ~11 am on Nov 29, 2022, the lava fountains were measured at 35-40 meters (115-148 ft) in height. The second video shows an ‘a‘ā lava flow several meters (yards) thick, moving to the northeast. #MaunaLoaErupts pic.twitter.com/OoOK9kl2y5
— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) November 30, 2022
Just 33 km from Mauna Loa, another active volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is still erupting. While Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in 38 years this week, its neighbor, Kilauea, has been active since last year.
Despite the two eruptions, Gov. David Ige said the Big Island remains safe to visit.
“We encourage everyone who plans to visit the island to go ahead,” Ige told Trends Wide on Wednesday.
“It’s completely safe. The eruption site is high up on the mountain, and it’s in a relatively isolated place,” he said.
However, distracted drivers watching lava flows could cause problems, Ige said.
“We’re concerned because visitors and residents stop along the road, and sometimes drivers don’t pay their full attention,” he said.
“So we’re concerned about traffic control on the freeway.”
Concern about dangerous gases
Although authorities have said there is no imminent threat to the properties, a number of potential health hazards could linger in the air.
Volcanic gases, fine ash and the so-called “Pele’s hair” (strands of volcanic glass) could be blown by the wind, according to the geological study. And state health authorities have warned of the possibility of volcanic fog.
The Hawaii Department of Health warned residents and visitors of “foggy conditions, airborne ash, and rising and fluctuating levels of sulfur dioxide in various areas of the state.”
Children, older adults and people with respiratory problems should reduce outdoor activities that cause heavy breathing and reduce exposure by staying indoors and closing windows and doors if foggy conditions develop, the department said. of health.
The governor acknowledged the potential for airborne hazards and said authorities are monitoring air quality monitors across the island.
“The concern is centered on the dangerous gases coming from the fissures. And the most dangerous is sulfur dioxide,” Ige said on Wednesday. “The observation of the volcano must be done from a distance. It is not safe to get close.”
Although no evacuation orders have been issued, Ige said he had signed an emergency proclamation as a “proactive” measure.
Last night I issued an Emergency Proclamation for the Mauna Loa eruption to allow responders to act quickly or limit access, if necessary, as the eruption continues. pic.twitter.com/j6Ky45Y6KE
— Governor David Ige (@GovHawaii) November 29, 2022
The proclamation would “make available all emergency teams, if necessary to activate the National Guard, to help control and keep people away from the volcano,” Ige said. “Or if evacuations were necessary, that would allow us to act quickly and promptly.”
The Mauna Loa volcano spewed lava Monday in the area of the Northeast Fault Zone of Hawaii. Credit: USGS/Civil Air Patrol/Reuters
Mauna Loa eruptions can be ‘very dynamic’
At more than 4,000 meters above sea level, Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano in the world.
“Based on past events, the early stages of an eruption in the Mauna Loa rift zone can be highly dynamic, and the location and advancement of lava flows can change rapidly,” the geological study stated earlier in this issue. week.
The eruption and lava flow have also knocked out power and prevented access to a critical climate tool used to maintain the so-called “Keeling Curve,” which is the authoritative measure of atmospheric carbon dioxide and vital scientific evidence for the crisis. climate.
The Keeling Curve graph is made up of daily measurements of carbon dioxide concentration made on Mauna Loa since 1958.
“It’s something very important. It’s the central record of the current understanding of the climate problem,” said Ralph Keeling, a geoscientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego and son of the creator of the Keeling Curve.
Dave Alsup, Rachel Ramirez, Chris Boyette and Monica Garrett contributed to this reporting.
