“Hawaii’s Big Island gets warning as massive volcano rumbles,” headlined an Associated Press story from Oct. 27. The summit of Mauna Loa is shrouded in clouds as seen on October 30 from Hilo Bay. Photo by Nathan Christophel/Big Island Now. Other examples of recent headlines include “Warning as Hawaii’s Largest Volcano Thunders,” “Mauna Loa Volcano Sends Warning Signals to Hawaii,” and “Hawaii’s Big Island Residents Warn of Potential ‘Lava Disaster’ as World’s Largest Active on volcano thunders.” The Hawaii Volcano Observatory and Hawaii County Civil Defense have not issued any recent warnings regarding Mauna Loa. “I saw some of these news articles as well, and a lot of them don’t even have pictures of the Mauna Loa volcano,” said Katie Mulliken, a geologist at the volcano observatory. “They show pictures of Kilauea, either from the 2018 eruption or previous eruptions, like the one at Pu’u ‘O’o. And that certainly can cause alarm, especially depending on the headline, making it seem like an explosion is imminent or underway.” This is not the case. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENTARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT The hype was enough for the Hawaii Tourism Authority to send a reassuring message to travelers, reminding them that Hawaii is a dynamic and ever-changing place. “The Mauna Loa volcano is not currently erupting and the recent news of the US Geological Survey’s Hawaii Volcano Observatory monitoring. the state tourism agency said in its October 31 online bulletin. It has been almost 40 years since the volcano last erupted and it has been in a period of intense unrest since September. Seismic activity beneath the volcano’s summit and caldera increased in late September, with instruments at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory recording up to 100 earthquakes a day in some places. “The turbulence is likely caused by renewed magma input into the Mauna Loa summit reservoir system,” the observatory said in its daily Mauna Loa update on Friday. “As the reservoir expands, it causes small earthquakes just below the Mokuʻāweoweo caldera and in an area just northwest of the caldera.” The update said 43 small earthquakes from 2-3 miles below the Mokuʻāweoweo caldera and 4-5 miles below the upper elevation on the northwest side of Mauna Loa were detected Thursday through Friday. Both areas have historically been seismically active during periods of unrest at Mauna Loa. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Global Positioning System instruments on the summit and flanks of the volcano also continue to measure inflation at increased rates since mid-September. However, no significant surface deformation was observed last week. Because of this increased turbulence, however, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory changed its messages from weekly to daily updates. The volcano’s alert level has not changed from advisory since 2019, and Mulliken said the observatory sees no signs of an imminent eruption. “This could of course change in the future, but we’re using this as an opportunity to encourage people on Hawaii Island, especially in areas that could be affected by an eruption, to review their (emergency) plans.” he said. “There are a number of risks that can affect residents here so it’s always good to have some sort of emergency plan and situations like this are just a good reminder for people to do that.” Fortunately, most of Mauna Loa’s last 33 eruptions have been confined to the caldera area. However, when lava erupts in other locations, it can flow quickly down the volcano’s steep slopes. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Frank Trusdell, another geologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory who has spent most of his career studying and monitoring Mauna Loa, said during a community meeting last month in Ocean View that the lava reached the ocean within three hours during a volcano eruption in 1950. Southwest Rift Zone. The volcano observatory can predict eruptions, but chief scientist Ken Hon said during the meeting with Ocean View that if and when one erupts, the alert level will not change until the observatory knows for sure that Mauna Loa will erupt . “We can definitely predict them. However, it could be a relatively short period of time between when we see signs that an eruption may occur and then when that eruption occurs,” Mulliken said. That’s why people living on the volcano need to be prepared, and why Civil Defense is hosting the community meetings in partnership with the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. Two community meetings have been hosted so far, one in Ocean View and another in Pāhala, to inform residents about the volcano’s activity and answer questions. Another is planned from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday in the Konawaena Elementary School cafeteria in Kealakekua. Civil Defense and the volcano observatory work closely together and are in constant contact when it comes to volcanic hazards on the island. Both will regularly update the public if and when anything happens. Mulliken urged the public to pay attention to these reliable sources instead of advertised titles. “We always encourage everyone to check out our website,” he said. “If something happened, it would be on our website. This is the most reliable source of information.” Mulliken speculated that the change in community messaging and meetings could have something to do with all the media attention surrounding Mauna Loa lately and with Kilauea’s 2018 eruption in lower Puna still fresh in the people’s minds, “that may be part of it.” Sure, the unknown is scary. You never know when the next crack in life will pop and an unexpected problem will erupt. The best course of action is to be as prepared as possible so that if — and when — the time comes, fear doesn’t take over. “Yes. Mauna Loa is an active volcano. It’s going to erupt again,” Mulliken said. “But as a resident, and I certainly can do this, living on the island of Hawaii, think about how it could affect you. If you can think about it in advance, if and when it happens, then you’ll be better prepared.” For more information about Mauna Loa, click here. Click here for the Hawaii County Civil Defense Volcano Hazards page and here for the Hawaii Volcano Observatory website.
