Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano eruption paused as lava flow appears to be 'inactive'
The USGS says that there isn't active lava within the Moku'āweoweo caldera nor in either rift zone and that satellite showed that Mauna Loa's flow field was cooling and no longer active.
Mauna Loa volcano showing low-level activity after threat decreases
Deputy Scientist-in-Charge at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory David Phillips tracks the latest on the eruption.
MAUNA LOA, Hawaii - Just over two weeks since Hawaii’s Mauna Loa started erupting, lava flow from the world’s largest active volcano has paused.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Monday that the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight found no movement in the vent. They said the channels below the vent were drained and no longer feeding the main flow.
"The inactive main flow front remains stalled about 1.7 mi (2.8 km) from the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Saddle Road) when last measured," the USGS said Monday. "The inactive main flow front still glows at a few spots at night and may inch northward very slowly as it continues to settle."
Officials say that tremor is no longer detectable, and sulfur dioxide emission rates continue to decline.
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Image 1 of 3The Mauna Loa Volcano is seen from the air near Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on December 12, 2022. - US Geological Survey announced on December 11 that Mauna Loa, the worlds largest active volcano, which began to erupt on November 28th, currently has greatly reduced lava output and volcanic gas emissions with the main flow totally inactive. (Robyn BECK / AFP)
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Image 2 of 3The Mauna Loa Volcano is seen from the air near Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on December 12, 2022. - US Geological Survey announced on December 11 that Mauna Loa, the worlds largest active volcano, which began to erupt on November 28th, currently has greatly reduced lava output and volcanic gas emissions with the main flow totally inactive. (Robyn BECK / AFP)
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Image 3 of 3The Mauna Loa Volcano is seen from the air near Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on December 12, 2022. - US Geological Survey announced on December 11 that Mauna Loa, the worlds largest active volcano, which began to erupt on November 28th, currently has greatly reduced lava output and volcanic gas emissions with the main flow totally inactive. (Robyn BECK / AFP)
"It is common for eruptions to wax and wane or pause completely, but none of the eight recorded eruptions from Mauna Loa’s Northeast Rift Zone returned to high eruption rates after those rates decreased significantly," the USGS explained.
The USGS went on to say that there wasn’t any active lava within the Moku'āweoweo caldera nor in either rift zone and that satellite showed that the flow field was cooling and no longer active.
Mauna Loa began erupting on November 27 at 11:30 p.m. local time, the first time it erupted in 38 years, ending the longest streak on record between eruptions.
Mauna Loa eruption: See all of the most incredible volcano footage
The eruption of Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, began on November 27, after remaining quiet for nearly 40 years.
During the volcano’s last eruption, Mauna Loa spewed lava and gas for three weeks before the eruption was officially declared over.
According to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its first well-documented eruption in 1843, with only three eruptions since 1950.