Doesn’t she live on the Big Island of Hawaii? Mauna Loa, not surprisingly, erupted yesterday. It wasn’t a surprise, because they’d had dozens of small earthquakes in the area in recent days.
Thanks - all is well. I did feel the quakes (very minor) that immediately preceded the beginning of the eruption. So far, the eruption in the caldera has subsided, while the three fissures that opened up (two of which have subsided for the moment) are on the gently sloping side of Mauna Loa, far from roads and homes - so the lava, which is about 10 miles from the nearest road, will take a couple of weeks to reach any sort of manmade structure, if it ever does.
Volcanoes are unpredictable and things could change quickly, but so far this looks like it won’t be anywhere near as destructive as the 2018 eruption, in which lots of people were permanently displaced as lava flowed over their homes.
We’re glad you’re okay! And we hope it stays that way.
Thanks! I forgot to mention - even if the eruption does end up causing property destruction, my home is not at risk; none of the possible projections of eruptions would come near me. If a very particular and not very likely set of circumstances occurred, my office could be in the direct path of a lava flow, but there is no indication that’s happening.
Anyway, our volcanoes are shield volcanoes - unless you are standing right at the edge of a fissure or caldera, you’ll likely be able to stay safe. Your property might gradually be inundated, but the lava moves s-l-o-w-l-y. People have time to get safely out of the way, usually with their most precious possessions in tow.
If you’d like to monitor the eruption, go here. The USGS offers great, timely information and webcams on volcanic activity on the Big Island.
Glad to hear that you’re okay, Carol, and unlikely to suffer any tragedy.
Can you keep us updated on how things look from your end? Yes, I’m sure that we all get the news media, but it would be interesting to hear from somebody “on the ground,” as it were.
Thanks for the quick response. I personally find the whole (FKA) Loihi story fascinating myself. It’s a seamount off the Big Island’s coast that in time will be a new island, although this isn’t expected to happen for a few tens of thousands of years at the soonest.
Sure - we had an awesome sunrise this morning, which we think was probably the result of volcanic ash in the air.
But… red sky at morning, sailor take warning.
But that didn’t take into account sulfur and ash in the air!
Red lava at night…everybody take flight.
Okay, local update - the experience on the ground is not totally divergent from the CNN version of affairs, but the local authorities called off alerts on air quality a day or two ago. Everything else seems about right.
The spectacular photos you can see on line are generally from the other side of the island (Kona) than the side I’m on (Hilo) - I’m jealous! I have to check in with my cousin, who lives in Holualoa (just above Kona) and is a former professional photographer. I bet he has some good shots.
The fun activity now is for locals to find a spot where they can see both eruptions (Mauna Loa and Kilauea) at once. We’re thinking of going out tonight to do that. Civil Defense has sternly publicized that there is to be NO STOPPING along the edge of the road between mile markers 16 and 31 on Saddle Road (the road that cuts across the island between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea) and they WILL be enforcing that, so I think it’s safe to assume that’s where the best views are. Hmmm.
Kilauea is also erupting? Wow.
Hawaii was quiet when i visited. No active eruptions.
Kilauea has been erupting steadily since September 21, 2021 - confined to the Halema’uma’u Crater. As is often the case it was more energetic (and therefore photogenic) more often in the earlier months. It’s been in a fairly steady state of a modest lake in the crater for the past couple of months, though I think it is getting weaker.
Webcam (only interesting at night; during the day you can’t see the glow)
Thermal image (more fun because even in the middle of a sunny day you can see the heat of the lava)
Looks like Mile 16 to 31 pass right by the mountain, and not only have the best views, but the highest risk, and THAT’S why they are enforcing this rule.
It’s an iron law of natural phenomena that those two are tightly coupled. It’s a corollary of the redneck battle cry: “Here, hold my beer. Hey y’all … watch this!!” 
A friend posted this morning that they’re in the Kaumana Inundation Zone. That can’t be a good thing.
Thanks for the update, @CairoCarol . And thanks also for the links to the photos–those are fascinating!
Hope that if you did go, that you got a good (and safe) view!
Are they in or near Hilo?
At the moment there is nothing to worry about. The fissures that have opened up are NOT likely to flow into inhabited areas (there is some risk to roads - one has already been affected and it is possible Saddle Road will be covered as well). Volcanologists say that while more fissures may open up, it is highly likely that they will be in the same area as the currently erupting ones and will flow down the same general direction. Scientists don’t predict that fissures in radically different places will erupt soon.
Tonight we drove out on Saddle Road to see the pyrotechnics. I didn’t get super-great photos because the county strongly discouraged pulling off the road to stop and gawp. And by “strongly discouraged” I mean there was a $1000 fine for pulling over. This did not stop most people and the police couldn’t have possibly caught everyone, there were too many people defying the order.
But we were good. So here’s a shot from a moving car. I’ll post more pics later. It was QUITE impressive.
Great shot for one from a moving car!
I’ve been to Hawaii twice, and the Big Island is my favorite, because I’ve been obsessed with volcanos since I was a kid. I was so bummed there was no visible magma neither time I was there…well, unthreatenting visible magma…I’m not a monster.