Mauna Loa

Mauna Loa (pronounced /ˌmɔːnə ˈloʊ.ə/ or /ˌmaʊnə ˈloʊ.ə/ in English, [ˈmounə ˈloə] in Hawaiian)
is the largest volcano on Earth in terms of volume and area covered and one of five volcanoes that form the
Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi in the Pacific Ocean. It is an active shield volcano, with a
volume estimated at approximately 18,000 cubic miles (75,000 km3), although its peak is about 120 feet
(37 m) lower than that of its neighbor, Mauna Kea. The Hawaiian name "Mauna Loa" means "Long
Mountain". Lava eruptions from Mauna Loa are silica-poor, thus very fluid: and as a result eruptions tend to
be non-explosive and the volcano has relatively shallow slopes.

The volcano has probably been erupting for at least 700,000 years and may have emerged above sea level
about 400,000 years ago; although the oldest-known dated rocks do not extend beyond 200,000 years. Its
magma comes from the Hawaii hotspot, which has been responsible for the creation of the Hawaiian island
chain for tens of millions of years. The slow drift of the Pacific Plate will eventually carry the volcano away
from the hotspot, and the volcano will then become extinct within 500,000 to one million years from now.

Mauna Loa's most recent eruption occurred from March 24, 1984, to April 15, 1984. No recent eruptions of
the volcano have caused fatalities, but eruptions in 1926 and 1950 destroyed villages, and the city of Hilo is
partly built on lava flows from the late nineteenth century. In view of the hazards it poses to population
centers, Mauna Loa is part of the Decade Volcanoes program, which encourages studies of the most
dangerous volcanoes. Mauna Loa has been intensively monitored by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory since
1912. Observations of the atmosphere are undertaken at the Mauna Loa Observatory, and of the Sun at the
Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, both located near its summit. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park covers the
summit and the southeastern flank of the volcano, including a separate volcano, Kīlauea.

Mauna Loa is the world's largest shield volcano in terms of area covered. Mauna Loa is shaped like a shield,
because its lava is extremely fluid (it has low viscosity), and its slopes are not steep. Eruptions are rarely
violent, and the most common form is in the Hawaiian style, which involves lava fountains feeding lava
flows. Typically, at the start of an eruption, a rift up to several kilometers long opens, with lava fountains
occurring along its length in a so-called "curtain of fire." After a few days, activity normally becomes
concentrated at one vent.

Eruptions generally occur in three regions on the mountain: at the summit and in two rift zones extending
northeast and southwest of the summit. About 38% of eruptions in the last two hundred years have occurred at
the summit, 31% in the northeast rift zone, and 25% in the southwest rift zone. The remaining 6% have
occurred from vents to the northwest of the summit, away from the rift zones. Its summit caldera is called
Mokuʻāweoweo; it is 1.75 to 3 miles (3–5 km) in diameter. The caldera probably formed 1,000–1,500 years
ago when a very large eruption from the northeast rift zone emptied out the shallow magma chamber beneath
the summit, which then collapsed.

Seismic data can reveal the locations of the magma chambers beneath the volcano which feed activity. Some
types of seismic waves, known as "S-waves," cannot travel through liquid rock, so magma chambers cast
'shadows' in seismic data. Seismic shadows reveal magma chamber about 1.75 miles (3 km) beneath the
summit and smaller magma bodies beneath the rift zones.

Trade winds blow from east to west across the Hawaiian islands, and the presence of Mauna Loa strongly
affects the local climate. At low elevations, the eastern (windward) side of the volcano receives heavy rain,
and the city of Hilo is the wettest in the United States. The rainfall supports extensive forestation. The western
(leeward) side has a much drier climate. At higher elevations, the amount of precipitation decreases, and skies
are very often clear. Very low temperatures mean that precipitation often occurs in the form of snow, and the
summit of Mauna Loa is described as a per glacial region, where freezing and thawing play a significant role
in shaping the landscape.