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Smoke filled the Hawaiian night sky on Sunday, glowing a bright red — signaling the eruption of the world’s largest active volcano.
Mauna Loa, which means « long mountain » in Hawaiian, exploded at approximately 11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. It had been showing signs of unrest since September, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The federal agency designated the volcano alert level as « warning, » meaning « hazardous eruption is imminent, underway or suspected. »
As of Monday morning there had been no calls for evacuation. The mayor of Hawaii County, Mitch Roth, said the eruption does not appear to be threatening any downslope communities. But as a precaution, the Hawaii government opened shelters for those who chose to evacuate at the Old Kona Airport in Kailua-Kona and Ka’u gym in Pahala.Mauna Loa is taller than Mount Everest
Mauna Loa is one of 15 volcanoes located in the eight main Hawaiian islands.
