Scientists lowered the alert level for the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island from a warning to a watch on Saturday and said the mountain’s first eruption in nearly 40 years may soon end.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a bulletin that the eruption on the mountain’s northeast rift zone was continuing, but lava output and volcanic gas emissions were “greatly reduced.”
“High eruption rates is not going to resume based on past eruptive behavior and current behavior suggests that the eruption may end soon,” the observatory said. “Nonetheless, an inflationary trend of Mauna Loa’s summit is accompanying the decreased activity and there’s a small possibility that the eruption could proceed at very low eruptive rates.”
Meanwhile, it said, a lava flow front had “stagnated” nearly 2 miles from Saddle Road, the vital highway that residents and tourists alike use to travel between the town of Hilo on the east side of the island and coastal resorts to the west.
Scientists said earlier this week that the road was not under imminent threat from the lava, allaying fears previously that it could possibly be cut off.
Mauna Loa began spewing molten rock Nov. 27 after being quiet for 38 years, drawing onlookers to soak up the incandescent spectacle and setting some nerves on edge early on amongst individuals who’ve lived through destructive eruptions. For a lot of Native Hawaiians, the phenomenon has a deep yet very personal cultural significance.
The observatory said its scientists were continuing to watch the volcano closely, and flight restrictions remained in place in the world as much as 1,500 feet above ground level.
Scientists lowered the alert level for the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island from a warning to a watch on Saturday and said the mountain’s first eruption in nearly 40 years may soon end.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a bulletin that the eruption on the mountain’s northeast rift zone was continuing, but lava output and volcanic gas emissions were “greatly reduced.”
“High eruption rates is not going to resume based on past eruptive behavior and current behavior suggests that the eruption may end soon,” the observatory said. “Nonetheless, an inflationary trend of Mauna Loa’s summit is accompanying the decreased activity and there’s a small possibility that the eruption could proceed at very low eruptive rates.”
Meanwhile, it said, a lava flow front had “stagnated” nearly 2 miles from Saddle Road, the vital highway that residents and tourists alike use to travel between the town of Hilo on the east side of the island and coastal resorts to the west.
Scientists said earlier this week that the road was not under imminent threat from the lava, allaying fears previously that it could possibly be cut off.
Mauna Loa began spewing molten rock Nov. 27 after being quiet for 38 years, drawing onlookers to soak up the incandescent spectacle and setting some nerves on edge early on amongst individuals who’ve lived through destructive eruptions. For a lot of Native Hawaiians, the phenomenon has a deep yet very personal cultural significance.
The observatory said its scientists were continuing to watch the volcano closely, and flight restrictions remained in place in the world as much as 1,500 feet above ground level.
