IAS Gyan

Daily News Analysis

Mauna Loa

1st December, 2022 Geography

Disclaimer: copyright infringement not intended.

Context

  • Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupted after 38 years, spewing ash and debris, and covering the night sky of Hawaii’s Big Island in an incandescent red hue

Where is Mauna Loa?

  • Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that together make up the Big Island of Hawaii.
  • It is the southernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
  • It is an active shield volcano with relatively gentle slopes.
  • It’s not the tallest (that title goes to Mauna Kea) but it’s the largest and makes up about half of the island’s land mass.
  • It sits immediately north of Kilauea volcano, which is currently erupting from its summit crater.
  • Kilauea is well-known for a 2018 eruption that destroyed 700 homes and sent rivers of lava spreading across farms and into the ocean. Mauna Loa last erupted 38 years ago. In written history, dating to 1843, it’s erupted 33 times.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/mauna-loa-volcano-science-behind-volcanic-eruptions-8296584/