About:
- Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that together make up the Big Island of Hawaii, which is the southernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago.
- 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.
Some famous volcanoes
- Any volcano that has erupted within the Holocene period (in the last 11,650 years) is considered to be “active” by scientists.
- “Dormant” volcanoes are those active volcanoes which are not in the process of erupting currently, but have the potential to do so in the future.
- Mauna Loa was a dormant volcano for the last 38 years.
- “Extinct” volcanoes are ones which scientists predict will never face any further volcanic activity.
- Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK, is an extinct volcano.
Krakatoa, Indonesia
- One of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions ever occurred in Krakatoa in 1883.
Mount Vesuvius, Italy
- In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted in one of the deadliest eruptions in European history, killing as many as 16,000 and destroying the town of Pompeii.
Mount Fuji, Japan
- It last erupted in 1707-1708 and had a devastating effect on the local population.
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
- Sometimes referred to as E15, it is one of the many volcanic features of Iceland.
- In 2010, a relatively small eruption managed to bring air traffic in Europe to a complete standstill.
Kīlauea, Hawaii
- Adjacent to the Mauna Loa, this is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet.
- It has been erupting intermittently since recorded history, with its eruption lasting from 1983 to 2018 being the longest continuous eruption ever recorded.
Mount St Helens, USA
- Located in Washington State, Mount St. Helens was a major eruption that occurred on May 18, 1980 and it remains the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history.
