Mauna Loa
Where is Mauna Loa located?
When did Mauna Loa last erupt?
What is the meaning of the name Mauna Loa?
Mauna Loa, the worldâs largest active volcano, located on the south-central part of the island of Hawaii, Hawaii state, U.S., and a part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It is an active volcano, with its last eruption in 2022. Mauna Loa is significant not only for its size but also for its ongoing impact on human activity in Hawaii, where communities continue to develop and persist in volcanic risk zones while relying on monitoring and emergency preparedness to manage potential hazards.
One of the largest single mountain masses in the world, Mauna Loa (meaning âLong Mountainâ in Hawaiian) rises to 13,677 feet (4,169 meters) above sea level and constitutes half of the islandâs area. Its dome is 75 miles (120 km) long and 64 miles (103 km) wide. MokuâÄweoweo, its summit caldera, has an area of nearly 6 square miles (15 square km) and a depth of 600 feet (180 meters).
Frequently snowcapped in winter, Mauna Loa is a shield volcano that has erupted some three dozen times since its first well-documented eruption in 1843. Many of its eruptions are confined within MokuâÄweoweo Caldera; others are lower flank eruptions along northeast or southwest fissure zones.
Eruptions from Mauna Loa have periodically threatened nearby communities, such as the city of Hilo, prompting efforts such as lava diversion and ongoing monitoring to mitigate volcanic hazards. Efforts to divert lava flows have included building barrier walls and aerial bombing. During eruptions in 1935 and 1942, U.S. military planes dropped bombs in attempts to divert the path of lava flows that threatened Hilo. In June 1950 a 23-day flow from a 13-mile (21-km) fissure in the southwest rift destroyed a small village. These events illustrate the ongoing challenges of managing volcanic hazards and protecting populated areas.
List of Mauna Loa eruptions since 1832
| year | start date | end date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 The 1832 eruption was not extensively documented. | ||
| 2 In many cases, the exact end date is uncertain. | ||
| 3 Some sources divide the multi-year period of activity of 1872â77 into distinct eruption events. | ||
| 4 Some sources count the 1880â81 event as two separate eruptions: one in May 1880 and another in November 1880 that continued into 1881. | ||
| 5 There are no written observations of this eruption, only a report from a July 1890 expedition to the volcano that noted evidence that it had recently erupted. | ||
| 6 Some sources count the two 1903 eruptions as one event. | ||
| 1832 | June 20 | 1 |
| 1843 | January 9 | April 102 |
| 1849 | May 9 | 2 |
| 1851 | August 7 | August 112 |
| 1852 | February 17 | March 112 |
| 1855â56 | August 11 | late Octoberâearly November 18562 |
| 1859 | January 23 | November2 |
| 1865â66 | December 30 | April 30 |
| 1868 | March 27 | April 11â122 |
| 1871 | August 6 | late August2 |
| 1872â773 | August 9 | 2 |
| 1877 | February 14 | February 24 |
| 1879 | March 9 | March 9 |
| 1880â814 | May 1 | by mid-November 18812 |
| 1887 | January 16 | late January2 |
| 1890 | before July | 5 |
| 1892 | November 30 | December2 |
| 1896 | April 21 | May 6 |
| 1899 | July 1 | July 242 |
| 1903 | September 1 | September 226 |
| 1903 | October 6 | December 726 |
| 1907 | January 9 | January 242 |
| 1914â15 | November 25 | January 11 |
| 1916 | May 19 | May 30 |
| 1919 | September 26 | November 52 |
| 1926 | April 10 | April 302 |
| 1933 | December 2 | December 18 |
| 1935â36 | November 21 | January 2 |
| 1940 | April 7 | August 18 |
| 1942 | April 26 | May 10 |
| 1949 | January 6 | May 31 |
| 1950 | June 1 | June 23 |
| 1975 | July 5 | July 6 |
| 1984 | March 25 | April 15 |
| 2022 | November 27 | December 10 |