Mauna Loa Photos and Video Show Sky on Fire as Lava Pours From Summit

As the Mauna Loa volcano continues to erupt, the night sky over Hawaii has turned an eerie orange.

In the hours since Mauna Loa, located on the island of Hawaii—also known as the Big Island—started erupting at around 11:30 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST) on Sunday, residents have posted pictures and videos of the sky being illuminated by the lava emerging from the volcano.

Twitter user @pdubl22 posted a photo of the dramatic red glow from their home in Kona, around 30 miles away from the volcano.

“The biggest fears are would probably be lava flowing into downtown Hilo, or lava crossing our highway. On a smaller level, neighborhoods could get destroyed by lava, even if it doesn’t reach Hilo or the highway.” @pdubl22 told Newsweek. “Otherwise, eruptions tend to be fairly “safe” here.”

Pictures taken of the night sky illuminated by the glow of Mauna Loa’s eruption (upper left; @pdubl22, bottom; Casey / @Marbles1121), as well as lava in the caldera (upper right; Jareb Ombao / @EddieDowdTV). The volcano started erupting late Sunday night for the first time since 1984. @pdubl22 / @Marbles1121 / Jareb Ombao / @EddieDowdTV

Eddie Dowd, a reporter for Hawaii News Now, uploaded a video to Twitter taken by Jareb Ombao at a gas station in Kona, which shows what appears to be “lava coming down Mauna Loa.”

The latest updates from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said that the lava from the eruption still mostly remains inside the volcano’s caldera at its summit, named Moku’āweoweo, with some visible sections of lava exiting the crater being named “flow fingers.”

“Flow fingers are visible from Kona. Surface flows have come out of the caldera in past eruptions – that’s not uncommon,” the USGS wrote in a tweet. “It’s magma going into the rift zones that is the real concern, because that can develop into a serious situation much more rapidly.”

“Lava does seem to have flowed outside the caldera, but for now the eruptive vents remain confined to the caldera,” the USGS further explained.

There is still a chance that eventually much more lava may spill over and make its way down the side of the mountain.

“Based on past events, the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly,” a statement from the USGS said. “If the eruption remains in Moku’āweoweo, lava flows will most likely be confined within the caldera walls. However, if the eruptive vents migrate outside its walls, lava flows may move rapidly downslope.”

@pdubl22 said that even if the lava overflows from the volcano’s caldera, Kona residents will likely be safe from the volcano’s destruction.

“There’s another large volcano (Hualālai) between the area I live in and the Mauna Loa caldera – so the lava would be forced to flow north/south of Kailua-Kona,” they said.

On Hawaii, which also houses volcanoes Kīlauea and Mauna Kea, lava flows follow predictable routes down the mountainside from the summit, leaving some areas of the island more dangerous than others. However, even if towns aren’t directly damaged by the lava, flows can cut off communities. During the volcano’s most recent eruption in 1984, a lava flow got within about five miles of Hilo, the largest population center on the island, blocking roads and causing damage to power lines.

Volcanic ash, glass, and toxic gases spewed by the eruption are expected to affect more island residents, however, as they can be blown larger distances by the wind.

An ashfall advisory has been put into place for the island of Hawaii until 6 a.m. HST, with a tweet from Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency stating that “up to a quarter-inch of ash is expected around and downwind of Mauna Loa. People with breathing difficulties should stay indoors, and cover nose/mouth with cloth or a mask.”

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