Dozens of earthquakes detected as Hawaii's Mauna Loa, world's largest active volcano, remains in 'state of heightened unrest'
Rebekah Riess and Claire Colbert, CNN • Published 29th October 2022
(CNN) — The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency on Friday issued a volcano advisory alert
after 36 small earthquakes were detected between Thursday and Friday
near Mauna Loa, earth's largest active volcano, which "continues to be
in a state of heightened unrest," according to an update from the United States Geological Survey.
The
agency points out that Mauna Loa is not erupting and that there are "no
signs of an imminent eruption at this time," adding that the unrest
causing the quakes is most likely being driven by the renewed input of
magma two to five miles beneath the volcano's summit.
The
volcano's heightened state of unrest, with increased earthquake rates,
started in mid-September 2022, the scientific agency said. The elevated
seismic activity caused Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to close the
Mauna Loa summit to all backcountry hikers until further notice, the
park announced in early October. The main section of the park remains
open, the US National Park Service said.
Earthquake
activity has been increasing from five to 10 earthquakes a day since
June 2022 to some 10 to 20 earthquakes a day in July and August,
according to the Geological Survey. Peak numbers of more than 100
earthquakes a day were recorded on September 23 and September 29, CNN previously reported.
According to the agency, Mauna Loa, which covers half of the Island of Hawaii, has erupted 33 times and last erupted in 1984.
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