Woke up the morning to find that Mauna Loa woke up after a 38 year nap. And, that we could see it for Kona. Well, not from my house. So. Get some coffee and get out for a look. Sure enough. We can see it. Wonder if we will still see it when it gets dark this evening.
Mauna Loa is a relatively dangerous volcano. But so far the lava isn’t endangering anything. And I don’t think we are having any real ash problems. It is cloudy today. At least I am assuming that it’s clouds making it gray.
Other than a huge volcano erupting 50 miles away – it was a normal Monday in the village.
After finishing playing housekeeper around the apartment I went out to Old Airport Beach.
Earthquakes and volcanoes are related here in Hawai’i. The 1868 eruption caused considerable damage. As with most eruptions of Mauna Loa, the 1868 eruption began at its summit caldera, Moku‘āweoweo. On March 27th, a column of smoke was seen emanating from the top of the mountain. Some on the island reported seeing a glow from molten lava.
Earthquakes and tremors soon began to increase. The following day, March 28th, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurred in Kaʻū, on the southern portion of the island, causing extensive damage. A steady stream of quakes followed in the subsequent days at rates of 50- 300 per day, with at least one as large as a 6.0-magnitude.
At approximately 4:00pm on April 2nd, the great Kaʻū earthquake struck. It is thought to have been 7.9-magnitude.
Just a little history. And a warning that it could be a very interesting week. (The 1868 eruption went down the southwest rift. The one is going down the northeast rift. That a good thing. )