How far will Mauna Loa’s sister volcano go, and what will they tell us about their eruptions on the Big Island?

Meanwhile, Mauna Loa’s erupting sister volcano – Kilauea – has been erupting since last year. The lava is confined in a small pond near the top, and not going down the side.

But the current eruptions are different. History can provide clues as to how far lava will travel from the two volcanos.

Mauna Loa is the world’s largest active volcano. It stretches 10.5 miles from base to summit and takes up half the entire surface area of Hawaii’s Big Island, the US Geological Survey says.

The reduction of lava supply in the Northeast Rift Zone may have an effect on the rates of eruptions, but they didn’t return to high levels after they decreased.

On the island of Hawaii, lava does not sneak up on people. People know when it’s going to happen.

The lava was moving forward at a rate of 21 yards per hour.

The lava advance, which recently slowed after hitting flatter surfaces, was within 1.92 miles of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway – the major highway connecting the eastern and western halves of Big Island, he said.

But all “that could change in an hour,” Gregg said, making the task of guessing which – if any – infrastructure or buildings could be damaged by lava much more difficult.

There have been some scares. Hilo is one of the biggest cities on the island, and in the 1880s, Mauna Loa lava flow kind of crept up pretty close to Hilo – but even then didn’t quite make it.”

Mauna Loa’s eruption and the fate of the flow: Where do volcanoes want to go? On the nature of lava flows in the Phakuloa Game Management Area

Right now, there’s a “small chance that the flow would diverge and turn towards the west,” Lev said, where “it might interact with roads and structures in the Pōhakuloa Game Management Area.”

The US Army’s Pohakuloa Training Area is about 20 miles north of Mauna Loa. The Hawaii News Now reported that an unexploded ordnance was found near a viewing area for the volcano’s eruption.

But there are too many variables – such as how deep the military device is in the ground – to speculate what might happen if a lava reached it, Gregg said.

“There is always a chance that there will be another eruption on the flank, closer to communities, but not from the current location of the Kilauea eruption.”

Humans in the past have tried to divert or even stop lava from advancing. Workers have used bulldozers to build huge earthen walls to try to redirect lava after eruptions, such as that of Mount Etna in Sicily.

Mauna Loa began erupting November 27, choreographing a spectacular display that sent rivers of molten rock gushing down its side and drawing crowds of spectators hoping to see the flowing lava in person.

No matter what happens, residents and tourists should pay attention to warnings from local officials and heed any guidance from volcanologists.

The eruption may soon stop due to the volcano’s slowed flow and behavior, though it’s not known when that will happen.

“That being said, it was a very large flow, it’s a large volume of lava which is sitting there. It will take some time to cool off, it was still very hot inside.