WEB DESK
The world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, is erupting after nearly 40 years. Officials said, Lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities. But the notification from the US Geological Service (USGS) warned the situation could change rapidly.
An ashfall advisory is in effect for Hawaii’s Big Island and the surrounding waters, and residents have been told to remain vigilant. The volcano’s alert level has been upgraded from an “advisory” to a “warning”, the highest classification.
Mauna Loa last erupted in March and April of 1984, sending lava flows within 8 kilometres of the city of Hilo.
The latest eruption began on Sunday night at the volcano’s summit caldera. Calderas are hollows that form beneath the summit at the end of an eruption.
It added, if the eruption migrates beyond the walls of the summit caldera, lava flows could “move rapidly downslope.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige cautioned Monday that the wind could carry volcanic gas and ash and asked residents with respiratory sensitivities to take precautions in order to minimize exposure.
A “trace to less than one quarter inch” of ashfall could accumulate on parts of the island, the National Weather Service in Honolulu said Monday.
The Hawaii Department of Health issued an alert Monday warning residents and visitors should prepare for impacts to air quality, saying the eruptions could cause “vog conditions, ash in the air, and levels of sulfur dioxide to increase and fluctuate in various areas of the state.”
Vog is a term that refers to volcanic smog, state officials say.
Sensitive groups, including children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions should reduce outdoor activities that cause heavy breathing and reduce exposure by staying indoors and closing windows and doors, should vog conditions develop, the health department said.