Hawaii is struck by 4.0 magnitude earthquake as Mauna Loa volcano continues to erupt

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook the Big Island of Hawaii early Tuesday morning as the world’s largest active volcano continued to erupt in the area — though officials say they’ve avoided the worst case scenario.

The earthquake struck just six miles east of Pahala on the Big Island, 20 miles below sea level, according to the US Geological Survey. Officials warn aftershocks may continue over the next few days as Mauna Loa continues to spew lava hundreds of feet into the air.

Meanwhile, Hawaiian tourism officials are ramping up for a busy holiday season, as ‘lava watchers’ from across the world are expected to flock to the area to watch the eruption.

‘I tell my guests, these are moments where you don’t want to pass up,’ Volcano Village Lodge owner Pua Norris told KLTV. ‘You don’t want to miss it.

‘Of course, safety first,’ he said. ‘But look at how amazing it is.’

Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce Executive Officer Miles Yoshioka said the eruption could be viewed throughout the Big Island as glowing lava and smoky ash are still spewing 200ft into the air from Mauna Loa after it erupted for the first time in 38 years.

Officials now say they have avoided a worst-case scenario, as lava is flowing away from populated areas and has stalled about 11 miles from Saddle Road, which cuts through the middle of the Big Island.

Instead of flowing quickly to the town of South Kona, home to more than 22,000 people, the lava has spilled into a northeast flank through three fissures, each between one and two miles long.

Mayor Mitch Roth told the Honolulu Star Advertiser that is ‘the best possible direction,’ even as it approaches the coastal town of Hilo, where over 45,000 people reside. 

Experts say the path’s topography, along with the history of previous Mauna Loa eruptions, put the city on the island’s east side relatively far from danger.

‘We feel pretty comfortable with the situation,’ the mayor said at a news conference Monday afternoon. ‘Right now, it seems like the lava is going to a positive place as far as keeping away from the public and everything like that — away from property.’

Ken Hon, scientist-in-charge of the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, added that it could be up to a week before the lava approaches any outskirts of Hilo.

But he, along with state and county and emergency management officials, cautioned that the eruption is still only in its early phases and could easily worsen.

The volcano is already belching sulfur dioxide and other volcanic gases which form volcanic smog, or vog, when they mix with vapor, oxygen and dust in sunlight.

As a result, state health officials are urging people to cut back on outdoor exercise and other activities that cause heavy breathing.

The eruption began in the summit caldera of Mauna Loa at around 11.30pm Sunday, but started overflowing early Monday morning — though experts say it remains confined to the Northeast rift zone, away from the town of Hilo. 

Officials urged the public to stay away from the crater and vents along the volcano’s northeast flank, given the dangers posed by lava, which is shooting 200ft into the air out of three separate fissures roughly estimated to be 1 to 2 miles long.

Lifelong Big Island resident Bobby Camara, who lives in Volcano Village, said everyone across the island should keep track of the eruption. He said he’s seen three Mauna Loa eruptions in his lifetime and stressed the need for vigilance.

‘I think everybody should be a little bit concerned,’ he said. ‘We don’t know where the flow is going, we don’t know how long it’s going to last.’

Gunner Mench, who owns an art gallery in Kamuela, said he awoke shortly after midnight and saw an alert on his phone about the eruption.

Mench and his wife, Ellie, ventured out to film the eerie red glow cast over the island, watching as lava spilled down the volcano’s side.

‘You could see it spurting up into the air, over the edge of this depression,’ Mench said.

‘Right now it’s just entertainment, but the concern is’ it could reach populated areas, he said.

Seeing Mauna Loa erupt is a new experience for many residents of the Big Island, where the population has more than doubled from 92,000 in 1980.

More than a third of the island’s residents live either in the city of Kailua-Kona to the west of the volcano, or about 23,000 people, and Hilo to the east, with about 45,000. Officials were most worried about several subdivisions some 30 miles (50 kilometers) to the volcano’s south that are home to about 5,000 people.

A time-lapse video of the eruption from overnight showed lava lighting up one area, moving across it like waves on the ocean.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the eruption had migrated to a rift zone on the volcano’s northeast flank. Rift zones are where the mountain rock is cracked and relatively weak – making it easier for magma to emerge.

Scientists hope the flow will parallel the 1984 eruption, where the lava was more viscous and slowed down.

Mauna Loa has another rift zone on its southwest flank. Lava could reach nearby communities in hours or days if the volcano erupts from this area. But Hon said historically Mauna Loa has never erupted from both rift zones simultaneously.

‘So we presume at this point that all of the future activity is going to be on the northeast rift zone of Mauna Loa and not on the southeast rift zone,’ he said. ‘So those residents in that area do not have to worry about lava flows.’

Hawaii County Civil Defense announced it had opened shelters because it had reports of people evacuating from along the coast on their own initiative.

The USGS warned residents who could be threatened by the lava flows to review their eruption preparations. Scientists had been on alert because of a recent spike in earthquakes at the summit of the volcano, which last erupted in 1984.

Portions of the Big Island were under an ashfall advisory issued by the National Weather Service in Honolulu. It said up to a quarter-inch of ash could accumulate in some areas.

‘Volcanic gas and possibly fine ash and Pele’s hair may be carried downwind,’ Gov. David Ige said, referring to glass fibers that form when hot lava erupts from a fissure and rapidly cools in the air. The wind stretches the fibers into long strands that look like hair. ‘So certainly we would ask those with respiratory sensitivities to take precautions to minimize exposure.’

Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that together make up the Big Island of Hawaii, the southernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Mauna Loa, rising 13,679 feet above sea level, is the much larger neighbor of Kilauea, which erupted in a residential neighborhood and destroyed 700 homes in 2018. Some of Mauna Loa’s slopes are much steeper than Kilauea’s, so lava can flow much faster when it erupts.

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During a 1950 eruption, the mountain’s lava traveled 15 miles to the ocean in under three hours.

Mauna Loa’s volume is estimated at least 18,000 square miles , making it the world’s largest volcano when measured from the ocean floor its summit.

Tourism is Hawaii’s economic engine but Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth predicted few problems for those vacationing during the eruption.

‘It will be spectacular where it is, but the chances of it really interrupting the visitor industry – very, very slim,’ he said.

Tourism officials said no one should have to change Big Island travel plans.

For some, the eruption might cut down on some travel time, even if there is more volcanic smog caused by higher sulfur-dioxide emissions.

‘But the good thing is you don’t have to drive from Kona over to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to see an eruption anymore,’ Roth said. ‘You can just look out your window at night and you’ll be able to see Mauna Loa erupting.’

The eruption comes as native Hawaiians celebrate Lā Kūʻokoʻa, a former national holiday commemorating the signing of the Anglo-Franco Proclamation of 1843, which officially recognized the Kingdom of Hawaii’s independence and sovereignty from Great Britain and France.

The volcano’s lava rivers have historically flowed into different communities including Hilo, which has 45,248 residents, and Kukio – a billionaire’s paradise which has blossomed over the last 38 years and now counts some of the world’s richest people among residents.

The last time the volcano erupted, inmates at the 200-bed minimum security Kulani Correctional Facility – which is at the foot of the volcano – were evacuated. 

The lava rivers came within two miles of the prison. 

A guard at the prison told DailyMail.com on Monday morning that they had not yet received an evacuation order, and that they couldn’t even see the lava from their side of the volcano. 

‘We’re staying put for now,’ the guard said.

He confirmed there are currently 93 inmates at the facility. 

The flow of the lava remains unpredictable.  

‘If the eruption remains in Moku’āweoweo, lava flows will most likely be confined within the caldera walls.

‘However, if the eruptive vents migrate outside its walls, lava flows may move rapidly downslope,’ The National Weather Service in Honolulu said in a warning this morning. 

The NWS is warning residents with respiratory illness to stay indoors. 

‘People with respiratory illnesses should remain indoors to avoid inhaling the ash particles and anyone outside should cover their mouth and nose with a mask or cloth.

‘Possible harm to crops and animals. Minor equipment and infrastructure damage. Reduced visibility. Widespread clean-up may be necessary.’ 

Residents awoke in the middle of the night to a bright orange sky. Many shared their photos and videos on Twitter, with some as far as Kona – on the coast – able to see the magma burning.

 

Scientists had been on alert because of a recent spike in earthquakes at the summit of the volcano, which last erupted in 1984. 

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.

At 13,679 feet above the Pacific Ocean, it is 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.

Some of Mauna Loa’s slopes are much steeper than Kilauea’s so when it erupts, its lava can flow much faster. During a 1950 eruption, the mountain’s lava traveled 15 miles to the ocean in less than three hours. 

Mauna Loa last erupted 38 years ago in April 1984, sending a flow of lava within 5 miles of the city of Hilo. In written history, dating to 1843, it’s erupted 33 times. 

The Big Island is mostly rural and is home to cattle ranches, coffee farms and beach resorts. 

It’s about 200 miles south of Hawaii’s most populous island, Oahu, where the state capital Honolulu and beach resort Waikiki are both located.