When most travelers think of Hawaii they envision cascading waves, warm sunshine, sandy beaches, and balmy ocean breezes. In other words a perfect tropical getaway where your worries just float away on the current. However, there is a very real danger to living here. This is epically true if you reside or visit the Big Island, home of Mauna Kea, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Keck Observatory. Even though Mauna Kea is the largest volcano on Earth it remains dormant and possess very little threat or hazard to mankind. The true danger comes from Mauna Loa and Kilauea.
Over the decades Mauna Kea has spawned countless lava flow on the big island of Hawaii (see illustration below). Mauna Loa alone has erupted 32 times since 1843 until 1984 and has generated enough lava flows to cover 806 square kilometers at a volume of 4.124 km3 that is nearly 16 percent of the volcano's surface (USGS, 2004). Kilauea is may not the largest of the three volcanoes but it is definitely one of the world’s most active volcanoes. In contrast, Kilauea has had 61-recorded eruptions doubling that of Mauna Loa in only …show more content…
During late October 2014 a lave flow was ejected towards the town of Pahoa from an eruption at both the Pu u O o vent on Kilauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone and in Halema uma u Crater at the volcano’s summit (“Lava flow from Hawaii volcano crawls toward homes,” n.d.). As a slow flowing lave the thick viscosity limited the flow to 5-10 yard per hour (28, 2014, & Am, n.d.). It took weeks for the asphalt-black lava flow to reach the nearest town of Pahoa. On November 10, 2014 the Puna lave flow reached it first house as the family looked on in a state of defenselessness (“First house claimed by Puna lava flow,” n.d.). Even though the eruption of Kilauea in 2014 is not on the grandeur of Vesuvius, Tambora or even Lake Nyos it still have historical value for the 800 people who had to evacuate the small
Over the decades Mauna Kea has spawned countless lava flow on the big island of Hawaii (see illustration below). Mauna Loa alone has erupted 32 times since 1843 until 1984 and has generated enough lava flows to cover 806 square kilometers at a volume of 4.124 km3 that is nearly 16 percent of the volcano's surface (USGS, 2004). Kilauea is may not the largest of the three volcanoes but it is definitely one of the world’s most active volcanoes. In contrast, Kilauea has had 61-recorded eruptions doubling that of Mauna Loa in only …show more content…
During late October 2014 a lave flow was ejected towards the town of Pahoa from an eruption at both the Pu u O o vent on Kilauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone and in Halema uma u Crater at the volcano’s summit (“Lava flow from Hawaii volcano crawls toward homes,” n.d.). As a slow flowing lave the thick viscosity limited the flow to 5-10 yard per hour (28, 2014, & Am, n.d.). It took weeks for the asphalt-black lava flow to reach the nearest town of Pahoa. On November 10, 2014 the Puna lave flow reached it first house as the family looked on in a state of defenselessness (“First house claimed by Puna lava flow,” n.d.). Even though the eruption of Kilauea in 2014 is not on the grandeur of Vesuvius, Tambora or even Lake Nyos it still have historical value for the 800 people who had to evacuate the small