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Thousands in Hawaii Flock to Watch Lava Ooze from Volcano
The world’s largest volcano in Hawaii erupted with rivers of glowing lava on Wednesday, attracting thousands of awestruck onlookers who clogged a highway that the flow could soon bury.
Mauna Loa awoke from its 38-year slumber on Sunday, sending volcanic ash and debris into the sky. A major highway connecting towns on the Big Island’s east and west coasts became an impromptu viewing point, with thousands of cars jamming the highway near Volcanoes National Park.
Anne Andersen left her overnight shift as a nurse on Wednesday to witness the spectacle, fearing that the road would soon be closed.
“It’s Mother Nature showing us her face,” she said as the horizon was filled with gas from the volcano. “It’s quite exciting.”
Gordon Brown, a visitor from Loomis, California, could see the bright orange lava from his rental house’s bedroom. So he went out with his wife to get a better look.
“We just wanted to get as close to this as possible.” “And it’s so bright that it blows my mind,” Brown explained.
The lava was tumbling down the slope slowly and was about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the Saddle Road highway. It was unclear when or if the road, which runs through old lava flows, would be covered.
The road cuts the island in half and connects Hilo and Kailua-Kona. If Saddle Road becomes impassable, people traveling between them would have to take a longer coastal road, adding several hours to their drive time.
According to Ken Hon, chief scientist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, at the current flow rate, the lava could reach the road in two days, but it will most likely take longer.
“As the lava flow spreads out, it will most likely obstruct its progress,” Hon predicted.
Kathryn Tarananda, 66, of Waimea, set two alarms to ensure she didn’t oversleep and miss the sunrise against Mauna Loa’s eruptions.
“It’s exciting,” she said. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. Incredibly, we live in this place. “I consider myself extremely fortunate to be an islander.”
Mauna Loa erupted last in 1984. The current eruption is the 34th recorded since written records began in 1843. Because Kilauea, its smaller neighbor, has been erupting since September 2021, visitors to the national park were treated to the rare sight of two concurrent eruptive events: the glow from Kilauea’s lava lake and lava from a Mauna Loa fissure.
The natural forces on display impressed Abel Brown, a visitor from Las Vegas. Later in the day, he intended to take a close-up helicopter tour — but not too close.
“If you get close to it, there’s a lot of fear and trepidation,” Brown said. “The closer you get, the more powerful and frightening it becomes.”
Officials were initially concerned that lava flowing down Mauna Loa would threaten the South Kona community, but scientists later assured the public that the eruption had migrated to a rift zone on the volcano’s northeast flank and was no longer a threat.
Along Saddle Road, where people were watching the wide stream of lava creep closer, the smell of volcanic gases and sulfur was strong.
Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation to allow responders to arrive quickly and, if necessary, to limit access.
Ige, who has dealt with numerous volcano eruptions during his eight years as governor, believes it is impossible to divert Mauna Loa’s molten rock away from the highway.
“There is no physical or technological way to change the path of the lava,” Ige said at a press conference. He recalls wishing he could do that in 2018 when Kilauea erupted and poured lava across homes, farms, and roads.
“But, as we saw in that event, Mother Nature’s and Madam Pele’s power overwhelms anything we can do,” Ige said, referring to the Hawaiian deity of volcanoes and fire.
Ige stated that if lava does cross the highway, the Hawaii National Guard could assist in planning alternatives and attempting to establish bypass routes.
According to Hon, lava crossed the Mauna Loa Observatory access road Monday night and cut power to the facility. It is the world’s most advanced station for measuring heat-trapping atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The federal government is looking for a temporary alternate location on the Hawaiian island and is considering flying a generator to the observatory to restore power so that measurements can be taken again.
Meanwhile, scientists are attempting to quantify the gas emitted by the eruption.
