After being dormant for nearly 40 years, the world’s largest volcano, Mauna Loa, began erupting in Hawaii, USA.
Key points
- Mauna Loa, located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, covers half of the US state’s Big Island.
- The volcano rises 13,679ft (4,169m) above sea level and spans an area of more than 2,000 sq miles (5,179 sq km).
- According to the USGS, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843. The previous eruption in 1984 sent lava flows within 5 miles of Hilo, the island’s most populous town.
- Mauna Loa is the world’s largest active volcano.
- There are other larger volcanoes but these are classified as dormant, meaning they have not erupted for a long time, or extinct, meaning they are almost certain not to erupt in future.
- Hawaii is a group of 8 volcanic islands in the central Pacific Ocean stretching in a crescent from Kure Island in the west to Hawaii in the east.
- Volcanoes make up 51% of the Hawaii Island landmass. Hawaii is home to several active volcanos, including the Kīlauea volcano, Hualālai, Mauna Kea, Kama‘ehuakanaloa (formerly Lō‘ihi Seamount), Haleakalā.
