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Information on the Mauna Loa Volcano

Hawaii's Mauna Loa is the Earth's largest volcano. It is also one of the planet's most active volcanoes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843.

Geography
- Mauna Loa is on the Big Island of Hawaii; it covers over half the area of the island. It is surrounded by the cities of Hilo, Waimea, and Kailua/Kona. Mauna Loa rises 13,677 feet above sea level.
History
- The USGS estimates that Mauna Loa first erupted between 700,000 and one million years ago. Mauna Loa also erupted in 1780 and 1841, and created a particularly spectacular lava flow between 1855 and 1856, according to the Hawaii Center for Volcanology. As of September 2010, its most recent eruption occurred in 1984 and lasted for 21 days.
Potential
- Geophysicist Falk Amelung uses satellite imagery to monitor the growth of two relatively new bulges that were formed by lava pressing against Mauna Loa's inner sides. As of 2008, one of the bumps grew by eight inches within three years. This indicates that the volcano's inner pressure is building, according to writer Christie Nicholson from "Scientific American."

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