Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa is the largest Volcano on Earth. Mauna Loa rises 9 kilometers above sea level and the weight of it has pushed down the oceanic crust 8 kilometers deep. The Mauna Loa, Hawaii volcanic eruption occurred on the 25th March 1984. The lava from the eruption was heading towards the small city of Hilo, with a population of roughly 300,000, stopping 7 kilometer before impact.
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What caused the event to occur?Hawaii is placed on the very center of the largest crustal plate on earth, the Pacific Plate. This area, in which Hawaii is placed on, is a subduction zone also known as a hot spot. Hot spots are a zone on the center of a continental crust where volcanism takes place. Undersea volcanos are found when a hotspot is existing under the seafloor. These volcano will often slowly grow up to the ocean surface and become islands.
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Timeline of Events
The 1984 Mauna Loa eruption terminated a 9 year time-frame of inactivity. The eruption began after a 3 year period of gradually rising earthquake activity 5-13 km deep. These earthquakes reached up to 6.6 in magnitude. Before the eruption many small earthquakes and volcanic tremors had occurred with the small earthquakes coming at a rate of 2-3 every minute. The volcano erupted with lava rapidly flowing out stopping before impact, 7 km away from the small city of Hilo.
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IMPACTS
People that were impacted by the volcanic eruption |
Thousands of people were impacted by the Mauna Loa, Hawaii volcanic eruption on the 25th of March in 1984. Over 181 houses were destroyed and more than 80 people died when they were caught by surprising fast flowing lava. When the lava was flowing towards Hilo it destroyed many things such as gas stations, homes, churches, cemeteries and lodges.
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The immediate effect the volcanic eruption had on people
The immediate effect that the volcanic eruption had on people was evacuation, magma destruction and fear. During 1984 the volcanic eruption didn’t cause as much damage to facilities as it did in the ongoing years. The people living closer to the volcanic eruption had to evacuate a lot quicker and faster than those living further away. Some even moved to higher ground. The crater was destroyed by the magma. During previous volcanic eruption the buildings were reduced to rubble, but after the eruption people start to build new buildings on top of the rubble. The Mauna Loa volcano eruption ultimately destroyed a village on the coastal side and fish ponds full of sea creatures. In conclusion the eruption eventually impacted local communities, filling fishponds which were a valuable resource to the humans and a symbol of a king’s stature and proficiency. The eruption also destroyed sheltered bays and coastal communities.
The effect the volcanic eruption had on the environment and geography of the region.
The magma reshaped many things including large amount of forest. The lava mainly reshaped forest; the lava also polluted the air killing nearby trees and plants. The eruptions filled lakes and ponds, shortening water. The eruption destroyed a lot of land.
How the volcanic eruption affected the human population in the long term?
In a long term the volcanic eruption will leave most communities in a poor state because most of their valued possessions were destroyed. It will also cause the community to experience a lot of anxiety and pain. Some might live with a serious injury for the rest of their lives. They will also have to rebuild houses and buildings. And they will take desperate measures to prepare for the next volcanic eruptions. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has been keeping a close eye on volcanic eruption of Mauna Loa. They’re doing this by using some upgraded equipment such as the Global Positioning System.