US scientists said Tuesday that two active Hawaiian volcanoes, one where lava destroyed hundreds of homes in 2018 and another where magma flow recently stopped before reaching a major highway on the Big Island, may have stopped erupting. has gone.
“Kilaua is no longer erupting,” the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement Tuesday. Subsequently, they issued another notification that the volcano “Mauna Loa is no longer erupting.”
The alert level for both volcanoes was lowered to warning.
Mauna Loa began spewing molten rock on November 27 after lying dormant for 38 years, attracting onlookers to watch the incandescent spectacle and discouraging those who experienced devastating eruptions.
Visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were treated to the unusual surprise of being able to see Mauna Loa’s smaller neighbor, Kilauea, erupting at the same time.
Kilauea had been erupting since September 2021. The Kilauea eruption in 2018 destroyed more than 700 homes.
The activity on Mauna Loa did not pose any threat to communities, but lava flows were 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) from a major highway connecting the east and west sides of the island.
For indigenous Hawaiians, volcanic eruptions have deep cultural and spiritual significance. During the Mauna Loa eruption, many Hawaiians participated in cultural traditions, such as singing and dancing in honor of Pele, the god of volcanoes and fire, and leaving offerings known as hakupu.
On Saturday, the supply of lava to a fissure at Mauna Loa stopped, and volcanic tremors and earthquakes related to the eruption “reduced significantly,” the observatory said.
“Glow points may remain near the vent for days to weeks, along channels and along the flow front,” the observatory’s Activity Summary states. “However, a return of eruptive activity is not expected based on past eruptive behavior,” he said.
