It has been 38 years since the last eruption of Mauna Loa. Residents are advised to prepare for a possible evacuation.
Lava erupting in the dark of night colors the sky orange. Lava plunges to a height of about 60 meters.
The Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii, which belongs to the United States, began to erupt late on Monday Finnish time. The eruption was preceded by a series of earthquakes, says a representative of the Hawaii volcano station.
Mauna Loa’s main crater is far from residential communities, and the lava erupting from the volcano has so far remained in the summit area and does not pose a danger to the residents of the lower slopes. However, the authorities urged to be prepared for the situation to worsen.
However, it would take several days for the molten lava to flow into residential areas.
Hawaii has six active volcanoes, of which Mauna Loa is the largest. It has erupted 33 times since 1843.
The most recent eruption before the current one was in 1984, when the mountain raged for 22 days and lava flows flowed as far as seven kilometers to the city of Hilo, where today nearly 44,000 people live.