December 2, 2022 - Mauna Loa Erupts

Mauna Loa
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The world’s largest active volcano—Hawaii’s Mauna Loa—has been quiet
for the past four decades. But in November 2022, the volcano began to
stir.

The first signs of unrest emerged in early October 2022, when U.S.
Geological Survey data showed a tenfold increase in small earthquakes
beneath the volcano’s summit caldera—a result of the underground
movement of magma. Swarms of earthquakes continued sporadically through
November 27, 2022, when new fissures began to spill lava across the
caldera floor at 11:30 p.m. local time. Most of the lava fountains were
only a few yards tall, though some of the tallest rose as high as
100–200 feet (30–60 meters). The lava flows in the caldera had quieted
by the next day, although other fissures had become active. As of
December 1, four days after the eruption began, only two fissures
remained active, and these were located on the volcano’s Northeast Rift
Zone. Lava flows were traveling to the north-northeast.

On November 30, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
the Island of Hawai’i. A large red “hot spot” marks the heat from the
eruption at Mauna Loa, including the long lava flows that have been
spilling from the active fissures. Kilauea volcano is also continuing
its low-level eruptive phase on the Big Island. It is located to the
east of Mauna Loa and is obscured by cloud cover.

Although a distinct plume of volcanic gas and ash is not visible in
this image, the blue-tinted haze to the southeast of the island is
likely vog (volcanic smog). Vog is a mix of water vapor, carbon
dioxide, and sulfur dioxide—the substances that make up 99 percent of
gas released in a volcanic eruption. Sulfur dioxide reacts with
atmospheric oxygen, sunlight, moisture, and other gases to create fine
particles, which scatter sunlight to create a visible haze.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a Mauna Loa
Eruption Webpage, which is updated daily with activity, data, and
hazard information as well as video and photographs of the eruption.
According to that site, lava flow from Mauna Loa crossed Mauna Loa
Weather Observatory Road on the evening of November 28. As of December
1, no property was considered to be at risk. A gas plume continued to
be present from the erupting fissure fountains and lava flows, with the
plume primarily being blown to the northwest. To follow the eruption,
the USGS Mauna Loa Eruption Webpage can be accessed by clicking
here.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 11/30/2022
Resolutions: 1km (71.6 KB), 500m (225.9 KB), 250m (647 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-12-02

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