2022 eruption of Mauna Loa
The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa was an episode of eruptive volcanic activity at Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, located on Hawaiʻi island, Hawaiʻi. Mauna Loa began to erupt shortly before midnight HST on November 27, 2022, when lava flows emerged from fissure vents in Moku‘āweoweo (Mauna Loa's summit caldera). It marked the first eruption at the volcano in 38 years. The eruption ended on December 13, 2022, after more than two weeks.
| 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa | |
|---|---|
Mauna Loa's eruption was captured by the Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) on December 2. | |
| Volcano | Mauna Loa |
| Start date | November 27, 2022 |
| Start time | 11:30 p.m. HST |
| End date | December 13, 2022 |
| Type | Hawaiian, effusive |
| Location | Pacific Ocean, Hawaiʻi 19°28′46″N 155°36′10″W |
| Volume | 0.2–0.25 km3 (0.048–0.060 cu mi) |
| VEI | 0 |
| Impact | No injuries or deaths, US$1.5m in estimated property damage |
USGS map of eruptive activity December 12, at 9:45 a.m. | |
The eruption resulted in no recorded injuries or fatalities, and while it threatened equipment at Mauna Loa Observatory and the cross-island Saddle Road, it did not result in the major property damage caused by other Hawaiian eruptions such as the 2018 eruption at neighboring Kīlauea that destroyed 700 homes. The Hawaii County civil defense administrator called it "the best situation we could have asked for from Mauna Loa", and the scientist in charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory called it his "favorite eruption".