Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano begins eruption, alert level raised

An eruption has begun in the summit caldera of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, the US Geological Service’s (USGS) volcanic activity service says.

“At this time, lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities,” the notification on Sunday night said, Reuters reported on November 28.

However, the notification warned, based on previous events, that the early eruption stages of this volcano can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly.

The volcano alert level was upgraded from an “advisory” to a “warning.”

The notification added that the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) would conduct aerial reconnaissance as soon as possible to assess hazards and better describe the eruption.

Over a dozen earthquakes of more than 2.5 magnitude struck the region in the last two hours, according to the USGS, with one measuring 4.2 in magnitude.

Mauna Loa, which takes up more than half of the Big Island in Hawaii, and rises 4170 metres above the Pacific Ocean, last erupted in March and April of 1984, sending a flow of lava within eight kilometres of the city of Hilo.