Mauna Loa Volcano Essay

Throughout the history of planet Earth major events have taken places to shape the world we live on today. Natural phenomenon like hurricanes and tornadoes have cause mass disruption to human life but neither weather event has had the potential to create mass destruction like an active volcano. Hawaii is home to a chain of volcanoes. Although majority of Hawaii’s volcanoes are inactive, there’s a monster living the belly of Hawaii’s “Big Island” waiting to unleash any moment.

Hawaii is home to Mauna Loa, Earth’s largest active volcano. Mauna Loa or “ Long Mountain” Covers almost half of Hawaii’s big islands. The Mountain is estimated to be about sixty miles long and thirty miles wide, it rises more than four kilometer above sea level and,

Fear grew as the approaching lava flow burned vegetation causing a disturbing visual of smoke in the air. Loud explosions of gas also freighted the locals. A flow of lava threatened The Kulani prison located directly in the path of the firer beast. The prison was put on alert, however the lava flow halted just three kilometer short of the prison. Aside from the burning of vegetation, The Kulani prison was the only location threatened by the eruption. The lava did not advance into any residential areas and on April 15, 1984, the eruption ended. Currently Mauna Loa is highly monitored by The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Although scientist cannot determine the exact time and place of an approaching eruption, there is no doubt that Mauna Loa will erupt again. In an HVO press release on March 26, 2009, Frank Trusdell, an HVO geologist who has studied Mauna Loa for decades quoted “Mauna Loa will erupt again, and there’s a good chance that it will be during this lifetime.”

(Rubin) Mauna Loa erupting in the near future has to potential to cause extreme mayhem. Scientist fear that Mauna Loa erupting could send the other volcanoes sharing the same hotspot into a triple eruption, which could ultimately threaten the hundreds of thousands of locals and