About a week after Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano began erupting for the first time in nearly 40 years, it continues to spew lava into the air and move down the lava flow.
US Geological Survey launched a live camera feed showing Mauna Loa Fissure 3 actively spewing lava from the volcano’s Northeast Rift Zone.
According to the USGS, the captivating live stream is not only fun to watch, but also helps scientists continue to monitor the volcano in real time.
According to the latest report from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, an active fissure or wind lava is feeding down the slope toward the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Hawaii Route 500) and is traveling at 40 feet per hour.
Civil Defense and Transportation officials are closely monitoring the Big Island Freeway to see if it will be necessary to close it due to the ongoing explosion. The highway is located in the border area that separates Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. It is the most critical infrastructure so far threatened by the eruption, which began on November 27.
Mauna Loa continues to spew lava into the air, and the lava continues to advance downward.
Lava fissures pour down Mauna Loa’s north flank.
Lava from Mauna Loa’s fissure flows over lava from a previous eruption.
People stand on the side of the road to photograph the eruption of Mauna Loa.
Mauna Loa eruption view.
Views from Crack 3 vary depending on rain and clouds, which can obscure the view or blur the video feed, the USGS said. The west-facing camera continues to travel back in the dark, with the only light coming from the volcano’s hot lava.
It is unclear how long the Mauna Loa video will last, as the cameras cannot be repaired immediately due to the dangerous volcano.
Another USGS camera Mauna Loa shows a view of the northeast flank from Mauna Kea looking south.
Officials now say the volcano poses no threat to nearby communities on the Big Island.
Scientists do not know exactly when Mauna Loa will stop erupting.
According to NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory, Mauna Loa’s last eruption lasted three weeks in 1984.
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