Mauna Loa is the worlds largest active volcano.
Situated in the US state of Hawaii, what would happen if one of the worlds most dangerous
volcanoes erupted?
Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions, the channel that loves a good ponder.
While our channel name may focus on the big, we also love the small… …that being said
todays episode is pretty giant…and very fiery.
I am your host Rebecca Felgate and today I am asking What if Mauna Loa Erupted?
Before we get into this video I want you to let me know how near you live to an active
volcano?
I am in Toronto which is East Canada, and I believe my nearest volcanoes are on the
pacific ring of fire in West Canada, so pretty far away from a lava palaver.
Let me know in the comments section down below…also why don’t you leave a thumbs up on this
video and share it with a friend.
Stick around to the end where I am going to be reading some comments from a previous one.
SO hello Mauna Loa.
Mauna Loa The second biggest volcano in the world and one of five that make up the Island
of Hawaii.
It’s existence is bitter sweet… on the one hand, the Hawaiian volcanos are the reason
the state of Hawaii exists… but on the other, an eruption threatens life on the pacific
islands.
Mauna Loa has had frequent eruptions in modern history.
Since 1900, the volcano has erupted roughly a dozen times, the last eruption being in
1984, 35 years ago, now its longest quiet period in modern history.
Scientists are saying there is a 100 percent chance that Mauna Loa will erupt again, so
really this question is not a what if, but rather a what happens when.
The answer depends on the severity of the eruption.
The last time the volcano blew 35 years ago, the lava flow came within 4 miles of the town
of Hilo, which at the time had 35000 people living there at the time, around 8,000 less
than today.
In 1984 nobody died, and just 16 miles of state owned land was destroyed, but the erruption
was pretty small.
In 1868 there was a much bigger eruption that spewed lava at 20 miles per hour, killing
cattle and horses in its wake and destroying a handful of buildings.
The issue with this eruption was that it also triggered an earthquake.
Couple with the lava issue, a 8 magnitude earthquake caused a landslide and tidal wave
which killed 77 people and destroyed 118 houses.
While this is awful, it still wasn’t a violent eruption.
Ten years ago it seemed as if Mauna Loa would erupt, but instead half the mountain shifted
south, which gave the magma greater room to stay beneath the surface, which means there
is more hot magma to spew than before…this means that the next eruption could see more
lava.
Lava is fast.
You can’t outrun it, but likely scientists are able to predict its flow.
If the volcano did erupt then those in the so called curtain of fire range, the predicted
path of the magma flow would evacuate their homes.
While lava is concerning and of course very visually dramatic, it really isn’t that
much of a risk when you know it is coming.
The greatest risks are earthquakes and the knock-on effects of Tsunamis and volcanic
mudflows, but the greatest risk of all is the cloud of hot gas and volcanic material
thrown into the air.
Oh, and there are often poisonous gasses thrown into the air.
One of the most deadly volcano explosions in Hawaii was of Mauna Loa’s sister volcano
Kilauea, which continuously erupted between 1983 and 2018.
In 1790, an explosion lead to the deaths of 400 warriors who were hit with hot steam and
sulphuric acid as they stood near to the caldera.
These days civilians would not be allowed anywhere near the volcano prior to eruptions,
which geologists would sense coming through increased seismic activity.
When Mauna Loa Erupts it is likely that there will be some ash damage and air pollution,
although this isn’t anticipated to be on a massive scale like Mount Saint Helens or
indeed anything like what would happen if Yellowstone ever erupted.
None the less, volcanic smog could cause flight cancellations, contaminate crops a drinking
water and possibly even acid rain.
As Mauna Loa is a frequently erupting volcano, and Hawaii is quite aware of the threats,
an eruption wont be catastrophic.
It wouldn’t be a violent eruption that could wipe out an island, but it could do some serious
infrastructure damage, and it would have the potential to take a lot of lives if the eruption
was a total surprise, but it wouldn’t be.
It is constantly monitored for activity.
Before it does happen, people will be evacuated from their homes, especially homes in the
path of the fiery curtain, as well as those living on the coast for fear of a tsunami.
If managed properly, the death toll could be very small or non existent, although health
could be impacted by the bad air quality.
All that being said, yes lives can easily be saved, but homes, roads and infrastructure
in general would definitely suffer.
Lava can burn a neighbourhood and cut through a road with ease.
When the volcano does erupt, depending on the severity, it could cost Hawaii around
30 – 40 million dollars in repair.
Sadly, it is an inevitability that developers and residents need to think about when building
or buying a home in the shadows of Mauna Loa…
But you know…Brightside… it really wont be anywhere near as bad as when Yellowstone
finally blows after hundreds of thousands of years of dormancy…that is one threat
that humanity seems to have forgotten about…and I’m not sure we want to be hear for the
reminder.
So that is one answer for you… the best predictions for Mauna Loa is that it will
be bad, but not THAT bad.
Silver linings, ehy!
Don’t forget to let me know what your nearest volcano is…perhaps you live in Hawaii, in
which case, aloha.
LIKE SHARE.
Comments from What if White Walkers Were Real?
Jon RD said: Im pretty sure we can kill em all cause whitewalkers only use Midevil weapons
while we got Guns and Bombs and Nukes?- yeah….
But do we have valerian steel and dragon glass?!
Good question from Varun Mahankali - What if Greyscale disease was real?
I want Rebecca
Felgate to do this!?
- Leprosy?