Some friends on the mainland were worried about Mauna Loa's eruption on the Big Island affecting us. We live on Oahu so we're quite safe. The translation for Mauna Loa is Long Mountain and you can see why it was given that name. Mauna means mountain.
I borrowed this photo from Reddit.
There are fissures from which there could be an eruption all along that long volcano.
The last eruption from Mauna Loa was in 1984 so this has everybody quite excited. I'm hearing about the long, LONG line of traffic heading along Saddle Road to see the eruption at night. Saddle road sits between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
I was just going to make this a short post to show you a fabulous photo my good friend, Myra texted me that her cousin's daughter on the Big Island took of Mauna Loa at night.
I got this public domain picture from the United States Geological Survey website.
There are five volcanoes on the Big Island. Four of the volcanoes are active.
The Kohala volcano is extinct. Hualalai's last eruption was in 1801. Mauna Kea last erupted 4,000 years ago. Kilauea is the youngest and most active. And now there's Mauna Loa erupting which is the largest volcano on the earth.
We took mom to the Big Island in March, 2017 to see the Halemaumau eruption. Anyway, Halemaumau is a pit crater within the much larger Kilauea Caldera at the summit of Kilauea volcano. I always get confused with what crater is where, etc. Sigh...
This is a page from our photobook of that trip. Mom was tired from all our sightseeing during the day so she went to bed. Art and I drove up to Halemaumau crater to see the eruption at night. It seems tiny, but we really enjoyed seeing it and talking to the people also enjoying the view.
The following morning we got up early and drove back to the crater so mom could see it. She did get to see it when it was dark, but also enjoyed it as the sun slowly rose.
This wasn't the first eruption we've taken her to, and she's enjoyed every one.
And now here's the reason for the post. My thanks to Myra's cousin's daughter for giving me permission to share it.
It's really breathtaking.
You can see the lava flow heading slowly toward Saddle Road. My friend/classmate in Hilo tells me you can even see the glow of the lava from Hilo Bay.
I wonder how long this eruption will last.
Volcano eruption is a fascinating sight (if you're not in a dangerous spot). According to experts, the frequency and intensity of erruptions is going to be higher in the years ahead because of Climate Change.
ReplyDeleteI would be a little jittery if I were on that Island.
ReplyDeletePhenomenal photograph! Volcanoes are fascinating but I wouldn't want to live anywhere near one. I imagine the air must smell and taste quite sulphuric.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation. I did wonder if this was on your island. Glad for that clarification. Your friend's photo is spectacular.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this little geography lesson Kay, I didn't know Mauna Loa was the biggest volcano on Earth! I liked your own photos here and that last photo from your friend--stunning!! I know Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but this comes close :^)
ReplyDeleteArt says this is Madame Pele, Hawaiian goddess of fire and the volcano. You do not want to get on the wrong side of this goddess. :-)
DeleteGood to hear you are safe and wow, that photo of your friend's is awesome. What I was mostly worried about for you was the air quality. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, Kay. You will have a good laugh at me when I tell you that I thought Oahu was the big Island. 😒
ReplyDeleteKay: 😂
DeleteLin Floyd says fascinating, our area had volcanoes decades ago...you can see the lava rock everywhere...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful but so dangerous
ReplyDeleteKay, it surprises me to think of people 'going to' the erupting volcano site... seems dangerous... but I guess if you live near a volcano, you have less fear (I grew up in Louisiana and hurricanes - so they have never overly worried me). The pictures are awesome. Thanks for sharing them. I do have a friend living on the big island, I may have to text her today and see how it is where she lives.
ReplyDeleteBeauty is often dangerous, I think. This is beautifully dangerous.
ReplyDeleteLike others, I learned some geography this morning. I had assumed Oahu was on the Big Island as well but based on Google Maps and a previous history lesson in Kuai, I now realize that Oahu is one of the older islands in the chain. Google Maps is very interesting because it shows undersea topography so you can clearly follow the volcanoes at the tectonic plate has moved over the years all the way back to Midway Island and beyond. You can also see the future islands in the Hawaii island chain already forming in the sea. We probably won't be alive to see it's birth above sea level but I wonder what the next island will be named.
ReplyDeleteI only got up close and personal to my first "active" volcano on our recent visit to see Mt. Saint Helens. It was humbling to be that close. I wouldn't want to be closer.
P.S. How does one know if Kohala volcano, or any volcano for that matter is extinct? I suppose they can look underneath with science equipment and make that determination but I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it in this post.
The next island has already been named. Lōʻihi is the name of the seamount. It is 22 miles off the southeast coast of Hawaii, 10,100 feet above the ocean floor, and 3,200 feet below sea level. It is estimated to surface between several 10,000's of years and 100,000 years from now.
DeleteApparently, a volcano is considered extinct if it hasn't erupted in human history or I've seen 10,000 years quoted.
DeleteI guess they're now calling Lo'ihi Kamaʻehuakanaloa. Such a looong name. I liked Lo'ihi better. Easier to remember.
DeleteI liked the name better as well and did not realize it had been renamed. I believe you are correct about the 10,000 years to be considered extinct. I read that the Big Island actually had 5 to 7 volcano's depending on what article you read, which I also did not know. Mauna Kea is dormant and Kohala inactive.
DeleteI don't quite know all the classifications. I've read on several websites that Kohala is extinct. I saw this on Newsweek and USGS also confirmed Kohala as extinct: "The Kohala volcano is extinct, meaning it won't erupt again because it has been cut off from its lava supply. The other four—Mauna Loa, Kilauea, Hualalai and Mauna Kea—are active, although Mauna Kea is considered dormant since it hasn't erupted in 4,000 years." I'm not quite sure what inactive would mean.
DeleteI did read that Mauna Kea is considered dormant. Can you imagine what would happen if it ever erupted? All those observatories. Sheesh...
Thanks for the lesson in volcanology around Hawaii. I am glad you are safe and nowhere near that eruption. And her picture is incredible! Thank you so much for sharing it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI used to show my physical geography class a video that dealt, in part, with the Hawaiian volcanoes in conjunction with the geology of plate tectonics.
ReplyDeleteWe have been reading about the eruption in the newspaper. Hawaii volcanoes are so different from our PNW volcanoes. Slow flow vs big blast.
ReplyDeleteThe mountain road going up to the top of the mountain in Oahu was exciting enough for me. We drove up to see the sunrise. but it was cloudy.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you were going up to Tantalus.
DeleteThat really is breath-taking.
ReplyDeleteMy thanks also to Myra's cousin's daughter for the amazing photograph.
All the best Jan
tht is really something kay! we used to go to mauna kea every year in january for many many years.
ReplyDeleteA lot of observatories can be found on Mauna Kea because it is such a tall mountain/volcano.
DeleteI call the Big Island the disaster island just because earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal waves, etc. hit it and so it takes the brunt of nature's fury on our east side. I am too much of a city girl to change islands. I love Costco, Target, etc.
ReplyDeleteI have a dear friend whose dad was my high school science teacher. She lost her mom, 2 young sisters and a brother in the April 1st 1946 tsunami that hit the Big Island. It's hard to imagine. Art actually wanted to move back to the Big Island, but my mom needed us here on Oahu and Oahu has a lot more easily accessed medical care.
DeleteIn 1984 our rep for Hawaii, who was Japanese, was at our plant in Ohio when that volcano erupted. He was worried it would overtake his home (it didn't), but he calmly remained and finished his business and kept us updated.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly awesome -- beauty and destruction in one package.
ReplyDeleteWow. That is quite the sight. I am glad you are safe. Also, I am glad you explained it! It helps me understand.
ReplyDeleteDestruction and creation all in one force of nature.
ReplyDeleteI saw it on the news
ReplyDeleteWow, that's an incredible photo of the eruption. I loved our visit to the Big Island; it was my late husband's favorite island from when he was stationed in Hawaii for two years in the military.
ReplyDeleteVolcanoes are really scary. Glad to know you guys are safe. The closest I came to watching a volcano was when our son took us to Maui & to Haleakala volcano in 2008. But that is long extinct. I somehow thought going to see a volcano erupting would be dangerous. Lovely pics giving great insight. Awe-inspiring photos by your friend’s daughter!
ReplyDelete