![]() In general, the older flows, being more oxidized, took on a rustier-brown appearance. It is an active shield volcano with relatively gentle slopes. We walked over a dizzying array of shapes and colors created by both pahoehoe and aa flows, some of which were younger than me. It has been recorded that the Mauna Loa volcano had erupted about 33 times from the year 1843 till date, averaging once every 6 years. Search from 368 Mauna Loa Volcano stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from. What follows are photos and descriptions of some of Mauna Loa’s amazing features. What an incredible trip –41 miles of young lava in 4 days. This September, I spent 4 days backpacking up Mauna Loa’s northeastern flank to its summit –and I got to do it with my daughter Lindsay and her friend Morgan. That’s where most of the eruptive activity is now, but Mauna Loa’s not at all finished. Note that the red-colored area, lavas from Kilauea, make up the southeastern coast. Shield volcanoes are made entirely of fluid lavas that form a volcano with gently sloping sides. Mauna Loa is so heavy the base of the volcano forms a bowl shape that sinks below the seafloor another 8 km. If you click on the map, you can see it in a larger view. Measure from sealevel to Mauna Loas peak the great mountain is 5 km (16,400 ft) high. From the map, you can also see that many of its lavas erupted from the summit area, now a caldera –and that most of the other lavas came from fissures along the volcano’s southwestern and northeastern flanks. Mauna Loa volcano, outlined in white, covers half the Big Island of Hawai’i. Lavas from Mauna Loa, cover half the island. To gain more appreciation for this huge mountain, look at this geologic map of Hawaii, made by the USGS in 2007.Ģ007 USGS Geologic Map of Hawai’i. And we’re experiencing its growth today –the volcano last erupted in 1984 –and 32 times before that since 1843. 18,000 cubic miles? That’s 18x the volume of air estimated by the National Park Service that’s between the rims in the Grand Canyon!Ĭonsidering that Mauna Loa’s oldest lavas (deep beneath the seafloor) are no older than 1 million years old and probably much younger –that’s a lot of lava in a geologically short period of time. ![]() The mountain covers an area of 1900 square miles (5100 km3) of land and has a volume of 18,000 cubic miles (75,000 km3). ![]() With just a little imagination, you can see how Mauna Loa’s shape resembles that back side of some shield one of King Arthur’s Knights might carry into battle. Basaltic lava flows, being comparatively low in silica, have low viscosities and so cannot maintain steep slopes, resulting in broad, relatively low gradient volcanoes called shields. Profile of Mauna Loa Shield Volcano from… Mauna Loa Shield Volcano! (Geologypics: (170919s-15))īriefly, Mauna Loa’s made of basalt. ![]()
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