Federal officials raised the alert level for Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. “The rate of the eruption is just really fast.”Its lava flows have stretched to the south and west coasts eight times and neared Hilo, on the east side, seven times. The U.S. Geological Survey this morning raised the alert level for Mauna Loa volcano from normal to advisory due to increased earthquake and ground deformation rates over the past few months. Officials say the increased alert level does not mean an eruption is imminent. Mauna Loa and Kilauea are fed by different portions of a hot spot deep within the Earth's crust, but Mauna Loa basically rests up against Kilauea and both volcanoes are sliding to the south. "If you look at the long-term eruptive history of both volcanoes, when one volcano in the past was active, it seems like the other volcano was quiet," Trusdell said.

"The rate of the eruption is just really fast." Mauna Loa's smaller neighbor to the south, Kilauea, has long been the world's most active volcano. An eruption is not imminent, but scientists are closely monitoring Mauna Loa because of its reputation for "evolving very quickly" and sending lava far and wide, USGS research geophysicist Ingrid Johanson told The Associated Press in a phone interview last month. And the bulging of the ground, known as deformation, indicates magma is entering the volcano's plumbing system.

The highest level, “warning,” means a dangerous eruption is imminent or underway.An alert-level change is not something the USGS does lightly, said Janet Babb, an agency geologist and spokeswoman. It must balance the need to keep people informed and the risk of causing panic. But there have been times that both volcanoes have erupted simultaneously, and there are other factors at play, Trusdell said.

Its lava flows have stretched to the south and west coasts eight times and neared Hilo, on the east side, seven times.

"It has more to do with the interaction and the buttressing of the volcanoes." (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

More than 700 Big Island homes were destroyed and thousands of people were displaced. An alert-level change is not something the USGS does lightly, said Janet Babb, an agency geologist and spokeswoman. Yet gas emissions have been low and steady in recent months, and "that tells us that there isn't magma rising to very shallow depths," Johanson said.

(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)In this April 25, 2019 photo, Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano, background, towers over the summit crater of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. The alert level on Mauna Loa was last raised to advisory in 2015. Officials say the increased alert level does not mean an eruption is imminent. “Then Mauna Loa’s flank will buttress up against the immobile Kilauea and the trickle of magma that has been feeding the volcano will build positive pressure and drive an eruption.”But there have been times that both volcanoes have erupted simultaneously, and there are other factors at play, Trusdell said.At the beginning of the 2018 Kilauea eruption, a large earthquake struck the Big Island and destabilized the entire region.Trusdell said if the theory is correct and the motion caused by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake isn’t that significant, Mauna Loa could be “reawakening.”“The last time we had a large earthquake like this it took a decade for the flank to decelerate,” Trusdell said.

A similar period of increased activity occurred around 2004, but the USGS Volcano Alert Level system was not yet in place at that time.“Advisory” is the second of four alert levels and means scientists have detected elevated activity or unrest. Trusdell said there is historical evidence of a "general correlation" between the two volcanoes. Officials say the increased alert level does not mean an eruption is imminent. The U.S. Geological Survey changed the level from normal to advisory after observing a slight increase in earthquakes and ground swelling over the past several months. The U.S. Geological Survey changed the level from normal to advisory after observing a slight increase in earthquakes and ground swelling over the past several months.

When Kilauea stops moving, it can cause pressure to build in Mauna Loa. The U.S. Geological Survey changed the level from normal to advisory after observing a slight increase in earthquakes and ground swelling over the past several months. Officials say the increased alert level does not mean an eruption is imminent.
Federal officials raised the alert level for Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. Federal officials raised the alert level for Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)Connect with the definitive source for global and local news “A lot of discussion goes into it because it has ramifications,” Babb said.Mauna Loa currently is experiencing 50 to 75 earthquakes a week, a steady increase since March when there was a pronounced change. But "it is not as if Kilauea is stealing Mauna Loa's volume," he said. The U.S. Geological Survey changed the level from "normal" to "advisory" following a steady increase in earthquakes and ground swelling that began in March. It must balance the need to keep people informed and the risk of causing panic. And scientists would expect to see 50 to several hundred earthquakes per day — not per week — ahead of an eruption, USGS volcanologist and geologist Frank Trusdell said. In this April 25, 2019 photo, Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano, background, towers over the summit crater of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

"The last time we had a large earthquake like this it took a decade for the flank to decelerate," Trusdell said.
During its last eruption, lava flows came within 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) of Hilo, the Big Island’s largest city.The alert level on Mauna Loa was last raised to advisory in 2015.


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