Neighboring volcanoes Mauna Kea and Kilauea are less than 50 miles from the Mauna Loa eruption in Hawaii.
Volcanic ash and debris are falling in the communities around Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano that is erupting for the first time since 1984.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the eruption began Sunday night. The volcano, which stretches more than 13,000 feet above sea level, is not threatening downslope communities at this time as lava flow is constrained to the caldera summit. But some are worried that the activity on Mauna Loa could trigger one of the island’s other four volcanoes.
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes on Hawaii’s big island. According to the USGS, it makes up more than 50 percent of the island’s land mass and neighbors several other volcanos, including Kilauea, Hualalai and Mauna Kea. The Kohala volcano is extinct, meaning it won’t erupt again because it has been cut off from its lava supply.
