The world's largest active volcano, which is located in Hawaii, is exhibiting signals that it may erupt for the first time in almost forty years.
The Big Island's Mauna Loa, which is part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is presently experiencing increased instability, according to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.
On September 22, when scientists started monitoring an increase in the number of tremors on the mountain, the 14,000+ foot volcano reached this level.
Geologists do not anticipate an eruption to occur very soon, but it is possible.
It would mark Mauna Loa's first event in 38 years.
Jessica Ferracane, a representative for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, said in an interview on Friday that "Mauna Loa is the center of attention."
Due to the massive volcano's disturbance, the National Park Service has closed off several park areas and reiterated safety precautions — both for people planning to visit the famous national park and those drawn there because of the possibility of an eruption.
Ferrancane observed, "That draws a lot of people."
Giving people secure access to active volcanism is a part of our purpose.
At the same time, there are important safety factors to take into account.
Kilauea eruptions at Volcanoes National Park in 2018 wreaked havoc in some areas of the Big Island, destroying homes and forcing evacuations, closing some of the park for several months.
In light of this, there are a few things to be aware of whether you're planning or have already booked a trip to Hawaii.
An increase in unrest on Mauna Loa
There are undoubtedly safety concerns for locals and visitors alike given that Mauna Loa is the biggest active volcano on the globe and occupies a significant chunk of Hawaii's Big Island.
The National Park Service took action to keep visitors away from the regions that might be most at risk when Mauna Loa started exhibiting signals that an eruption may be imminent late last month.
The volcano's peak and trails leading there are no longer open to hikers.
This closure is indefinitely temporary.
Only hikers and campers who are genuinely committed to seeing the volcano up close may typically approach the region that has been closed off.
Park officials took this precaution because, according to Ferrancane, "getting to the people who could be up there would be incredibly time-consuming" if conditions changed.
After all, even without taking into account the additional difficulties an eruption could bring, the summit's height of approximately 14,000 feet is higher than many helicopters can fly.
The Hawaii Volcano Observatory is not raising the alarm about any immediate threat, despite this precaution.
Although 40 to 50 daily earthquakes have recently been seen by scientists, which the observatory claims were probably caused by magma, it is still unknown if or when an eruption might occur.
Since the volcano's first well-recorded eruption in 1843, which was followed by 32 others, the most recent one was in 1984.
Park operations are largely routine.
Despite the temporary closure of Mauna Loa's summit, the park's operations are still open to tourists who wish to take advantage of everything it has to offer.
The park is huge, covering 350,000 acres, and the most popular areas are open.
As of right now, you may visit safely, Ferrancane added.
In fact, it's a very amazing visit, to be honest.
After all, in addition to Mauna Loa, the park is also home to Kilauea, which has been erupting since September 2021.
There are many different vantage points from which to observe Kilauea's lava lake and eruption.
According to the park's website, that lava lake had a 282 acre surface area as of August. However, much of it has since crusted over.
Eruptions bring more tourists
Eruptions are really a reason for many visitors to visit the park since they want to see the most breathtaking vistas a volcano can offer.
For instance, the park website claims that attendance increases as Kilauea's lava lake rises.
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is open every day from sunrise to sunset, but keep in mind that the peak hour for tourists is around 5:00 p.m.
and 9:00 p.m.
so that they may see the lava at night; consequently, it can get fairly crowded.
A probable eruption on Mauna Loa, as well as heightened seismic activity, might result in a rise in visitors, according to park officials, especially if eruptions are occurring on both summits.
When visiting, safety
When it comes to a prospective Mauna Loa eruption, there are many unanswered questions.
Unknown is how much of an impact the park and the nearby roads, houses, and villages would experience.
The same goes for any kind of chronology.
For instance, visitors can safely view the most recent eruption of Kilauea.
However, the volcano's recent 2018 outburst damaged hundreds of dwellings.
The slopes of Mauna Loa, on the other hand, are substantially steeper and might cause lava to flow into more populated regions.
But it's unclear if that will actually occur.
Ferrancane responded, "It really, truly depends."
The Kilauea part may not be affected by a Mona Loa eruption and would just affect Mona Loa, although it could.
She gave visitors two main pieces of advise as a result: before visiting, check the park's website for alerts and the most recent conditions; and while you're there, avoid closed-off sections.
The National Park Service also cautions visitors to the park that conditions can change at any time and that people who have breathing problems may be at risk from the gases released by the park's active volcanoes.
Goal is to observe the volcano safely.
Although a more damaging eruption might result in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park being shut down over a larger area, it is undoubtedly not the plan.
Ferrancane stated, "We try to leave the park open.
You should be able to visit the park securely for the time being, as long as you check the most recent information and only visit the areas open to the public, while geologists investigate the most recent earthquakes from the biggest active volcano in the world.
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