Status: 11/28/2022 2:51 p.m
The Hawaiian Mauna Loa hurls ash and rocks down its slopes. According to US data, this is the world’s largest volcano. Its last eruption was almost 40 years ago.
According to US data, the world’s largest active volcano has erupted. After almost 40 years of inactivity, ash and rocks were thrown onto the slopes of Mauna Loa in Hawaii on Sunday evening (local time), according to the US Geological Institute and the USGS.
So far, the eruption has been limited to the crater Moku’āweoweo on the summit of the mountain. No lava flowed down. Adjacent towns are therefore not in danger for the time being, it said.
More than 4100 meter high peak
Seismologists had previously feared an eruption due to multiple earthquakes detected at the summit. Past eruptions of Mauna Loa have shown that volcanic eruptions are very dynamic, especially in the early stages, the US earthquake agency warned. In addition, winds could carry volcanic gases and ash toward inhabited areas.
The peak of Mauna Loa rises more than 4100 meters from the Hawaiian archipelago in the Pacific. The volcano last erupted in 1984. The lava flow was able to flow down quickly through the steep flanks of the mountain and managed to reach the sea 24 kilometers away within a few hours.