Mauna Loa

Mauna Loa

The volcano Mauna Loa is one of the more essential volcanoes in the Islands and one of the five volcanos that form the island of Hawaii along with the volcanos Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Kohala and Kilauea. 

In Hawaiian, Mauna Loa signifies 'high mountain', quite adequate name since it is the largest volcano of the Land, with a volume reckoned in approximately 75,000 km³ (some 18,000 cubic miles) (Kaye, 2002) and a height of 5,000 m (on 16,000 feet) since its base to the surface of the ocean, and other 4,170 m (13,680 feet) on sea level, that is to say, more than 9,000 m (> 30,000 feet) Total height.  Mauna Lia is near 36 m (120 feet) lower that its neighbor, Mauna Kea.  The kettle of the summit of the volcano is called Moku`aweoweo.  Mauna Loa, an enormous mountain arisen in half of the ocean, is found in the center of the ring of fire. 

Some 33 eruptions of Mauna Loa have been produced in historic times, being the last one in March-April of 1984. 

It has erupted since at least 700.000 years ago and could have emerged of the ocean does 400.000, although the oldest rocks than have registered do not they go beyond 200.000 years. [1] Its magma comes from a hot point of the terrestrial cloak very under the island, which is the responsible for the creation of the thongs islands chain by scores of millions.  The slow flow of the Plate of the Pacific eventually will carry to the volcano far from the hot point, and will be extinguished inside 500.000 to 1,000,000 million of years. 

The most recent eruption of the Mauna Loa occurred from March 24 to April 15, 1984.  No recent eruption has caused deaths, but the eruptions of 1926 and of 1959 destroyed villages, and the city of Thread was partly built in lava flows at the ends of the 19th century.  In view of the dangers that run the human settlements, Mauna Loa is part of the program Decade Volcanoes, that motivates the study of the most dangerous volcanoes.  Mauna Loa intensely has been monitored for the Hawaiian Observatory of Volcanoes (HVO) since 1912.  The observations in the atmosphere are collected for the Observatory Mauna Praises, and of the sun in the Observatory Solar Mauna Praises, both located near the top.  The Volcano National Park of Hawaii covers the top and the southeastern side of the volcano and includes Kilauea. 

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