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Friday, March 27, 2009
WORKS CITED
MAUNA LOA, HAWAII
Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano, is located on the island of Hawaii, accounting for much of the island's mass itself. In fact, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the volcano "by itself amounts to about 85% of all other Hawaiian Islands combined." Mauna Loa is surrounded by the volcanoes Kilauea, Mauna Kea, Kohala, and Hualalai; together they make up the island of Hawaii. Mauna Loa is also surrounded by the cities Holauloa, Kealakekua, Captain Cook, Naalehu, Pahola, Volcano, Mountain View, Kurtistown, Keaau, and Hilo. Hawaii sits on the Pacific Plate, and the volcanic islands were formed as the plate moved northwest over a hot spot.
Some characteristics of Mauna Loa, an oceanic shield volcano, include a 2-3 mile-wide caldera, which is up to 600 feet tall. When a magma chamber beneath the surface emptied hundreds of years ago, the top of the volcano collapsed, forming the caldera. The volcano also has rift zones and a summit crater, as well as the pit craters North Bay and South Pit. It is 5,271 square kilometers in area and 80,000 cubic kilometers in volume. Mauna Loa has non-explosive eruptions, and therefore is among the most non-threatening volcanoes. Its basaltic lava has a small amount of dissolved gases. However, Mauna Loa is known for its lava flows, and Hilo, a city near the volcano, has been endangered by the flows at times. A lava flow that occurred in 1935 was one historic case: The U.S. Army Air corps (advised by the Hawaii Volcano Observatory) succeeded in deferring the lava flow by dropping bombs at certain points in the flow. The idea was that the bombs would free molten rock and gases under the flow that would halt it. It is debated, however, if this in fact was what ended the flow, or if it was already about to end. Mauna Loa is also known for its day-long eruptions of low-viscosity lava called "Curtains of Fire." During the late 19th century and into the first half of the 1900s, Mauna Loa was quite active, and then became dormant in 1950. In 1975, it resumed activity. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843, the year of the first documentation of an eruption there; the most recent eruption occurred in 1984.
Mauna Loa is a great location for observing the atmosphere and geological events because of its position in the Pacific Ocean and its height; the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Mauna Loa Observatory are both located on Mauna Loa. Also, many crops and plants benefit from the fertile soil created by lava flows from the Hawaiian volcanoes. However, Mauna Loa is also a source of some dangers; the volcano emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide during eruptions. If these eruptions take place below the trade-winds inversion (a warm air layer above cold air) the sulfur dioxide is held in by the layer, unable to escape, and citizens of nearby cities could be affected by the gas.
Some characteristics of Mauna Loa, an oceanic shield volcano, include a 2-3 mile-wide caldera, which is up to 600 feet tall. When a magma chamber beneath the surface emptied hundreds of years ago, the top of the volcano collapsed, forming the caldera. The volcano also has rift zones and a summit crater, as well as the pit craters North Bay and South Pit. It is 5,271 square kilometers in area and 80,000 cubic kilometers in volume. Mauna Loa has non-explosive eruptions, and therefore is among the most non-threatening volcanoes. Its basaltic lava has a small amount of dissolved gases. However, Mauna Loa is known for its lava flows, and Hilo, a city near the volcano, has been endangered by the flows at times. A lava flow that occurred in 1935 was one historic case: The U.S. Army Air corps (advised by the Hawaii Volcano Observatory) succeeded in deferring the lava flow by dropping bombs at certain points in the flow. The idea was that the bombs would free molten rock and gases under the flow that would halt it. It is debated, however, if this in fact was what ended the flow, or if it was already about to end. Mauna Loa is also known for its day-long eruptions of low-viscosity lava called "Curtains of Fire." During the late 19th century and into the first half of the 1900s, Mauna Loa was quite active, and then became dormant in 1950. In 1975, it resumed activity. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843, the year of the first documentation of an eruption there; the most recent eruption occurred in 1984.
Mauna Loa is a great location for observing the atmosphere and geological events because of its position in the Pacific Ocean and its height; the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Mauna Loa Observatory are both located on Mauna Loa. Also, many crops and plants benefit from the fertile soil created by lava flows from the Hawaiian volcanoes. However, Mauna Loa is also a source of some dangers; the volcano emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide during eruptions. If these eruptions take place below the trade-winds inversion (a warm air layer above cold air) the sulfur dioxide is held in by the layer, unable to escape, and citizens of nearby cities could be affected by the gas.
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