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 Mauna Loa, or "Long Mountain" in Hawaiian, is located on the island of Hawaii. It rises 13,680 ft. (4,170 m) above sea level. Since 1832, Mauna Loa has erupted 39 times; it's last eruption was in 1984.
Mauna Loa is a REALLY tall and big mountain. At 60 miles long and 30 miles wide, it makes up half of the entire island. When one considers that the flanks of Mauna Loa sit on sea floor that is about 16,400 ft (5,000 M) deep, the "height" of this volcano relative to neighboring land (the sea floor) is more like 30,080 ft (9,170 m)! Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano in the world. In fact, using this last measure of it's height, it is one of the tallest mountains in the world (although many mountains, such as Mt. Everest in the Himalaya mountain range, sit higher relative to sea level). All large land masses (such as mountains) also push down upon the Earth's crust due to their enormous weight. So, directly beneath Mauna Loa, the sea floor on which it sits is depressed by and additional 26,000 ft (8000 m). Thus, if one wanted to say how thick (at it's center) is the lava pile that makes up Mauna Loa, one would need to add its above sea level height, its sea floor to sea level height, and the thickness of its depression in the Pacific sea floor. These total 56,080 ft (17,170 m).
Quite frankly folks... it's one big mountain.
Mauna Loa is a "shield volcano", which means it is a gently sloping mountain produced from a large number of generally very fluid lava flows. The volcano has been erupting for at least 100,000 years (possibly more) from a primary volcanic center that is presently manifested by Moku'aweoweo crater at the mountain's summit. It has produced both a'a and pahoehoe flows, and lesser amounts of pyroclastic deposits. The volcano is constructed of a rock type known as tholeiitic basalt. Mauna Loa shares the Hawaiian hot spot with its smaller active siblings Kilauea and Loihi seamount.
 The earliest written account of a Mauna Loa eruption, based upon the observations of an elderly guide (Keaweehu) in the Wilkes exploration party to the summit in 1840-1841, says an eruption took place in 1780. This is shortly after Captain Cook's first visit to the islands. In 1868, and an eruption from Mauna Loa caused the largest recorded earthquake in Hawaii, a magnitude 8 by modern standards. The lava flow of 1855-1856 is said to be one of the greatest flows ever seen by modern observers.
The oldest remnants of subaerial Mauna Loa are to be found in an interesting rock formation known as the "Ninole Volcanic Series". It is a series of steep-sided hills, consisting of thin layers of pahoehoe and a'a lava. These hills form the so-called "Ninole Shield" which is thought to be either the remnants of a pre-Mauna Loa volcano, or uplifted blocks of old Mauna Loa from within the Honuapo-kaoiki fault system. Either way, they are some of the oldest exposed rocks on the southern part of the island.
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Not really a place to just up and visit. It's more of a place you look from afar and go "Ahhhh". See the maps for more details. Chances are if you get to Kilauea, you'll be close enough to Mauna Loa as well. |
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