Final Thought…
Mauna Loa volcano on Hawai’i Island has erupted 34 times since 1843. The last eruption happened 38 years ago. Much has changed since 1984, science is more advanced as is technology and communication. What has not changed is the power of the world’s largest active volcano. According to the USGS, in 1984, lava from Mauna Loa came within 4.5 miles of Hilo. In 1950, Mauna Loa erupted for 23 days, sending 492 million cubic yards of lava from its southwest rift zone, that’s 738 billion (738,000,000,000) pounds of lava! One flow from the ’84 eruption covered the 15-mile journey from vent to the ocean in less than three hours! Just another example of why volcanic eruptions are one of Earth’s most extraordinary and sometimes violent elements of change.