Simplified map of the Island of Hawai`i, showing the average rates of lava extrusion for historical eruptions on Mauna Loa (brown). The volcano is divided into four major sectors downslope from Moku`aweoweo caldera (shown in red): NER = northeast rift zone; MKS = Moku`aweoweo south; SWR = southwest rift zone; MKN = Moku`aweoweo north. In parenthesis, the rates of extrusion within each sector are in millions of cubic meters per day (6 = 6,000,000 m³/day). For comparison, the average rate of lava extrusion at Kilauea Volcano during the Pu`u `O`o eruption is less than 0.5 million cubic meters per day.

On Mauna Loa, the combination of high extrusion rates and steep slopes adjacent to the southwest rift zone suggests a relatively higher risk during future eruptions for the southwest coast of Hawai`i than for areas adjacent to the northeast rift zone.