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Rocks ejected during explosive event at summit Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawai'i |
Photograph by D.A. Swanson on March 15, 2000
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Ground and surface water heated to steam is thought to be
responsible for many of the explosions at Mauna Loa's lower
neighbor, Kilauea. But, Mauna Loa stands so high that it is
hard to imagine that much water was available. Could there
have been buried ice lenses large enough to have powered the
explosions? Could large snow banks have supplied the water?
Or, could the explosions have been driven by carbon dioxide or
other gases derived from magma? Much research remains to be
done before these questions can be answered. Meanwhile,
explosions should be viewed as an infrequent, but nonetheless
present, hazard at the top of Earth's largest volcano.
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Photograph by D.A. Swanson on March 15, 2000
Photograph by D.A. Swanson on March 15, 2000
     
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Contact: hvowebmaster@usgs.gov
Updated: 10 Apr 2000
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