Living in the Shadow of Mauna Loa: A Silent Summit Belies a Volcano's Forgotten Fury

Although Mauna Loa often takes a back seat to the more famous Kilauea, which has been erupting nearly continuously since 1983, history warns us that Mauna Loa’s current silence is anomalous. Meanwhile, more people and more buildings pack into potentially hazardous areas: locations where Mauna Loa’s lava has reached in the past and likely will reach again.

Read more about the steps geologists are already taking — such as upgrading their monitoring tools and talking with the public — to prepare for another eruption of Mauna Loa in the September issue of EARTH Magazine.

For more stories about the science of our planet, check out EARTH magazine online or subscribe at www.earthmagazine.org. The September issue, now available on the digital newsstand, features stories about a new Neanderthal ancestor found in a Spanish cave, the effect of volcanic ash on Southern Ocean plankton, and a tribute to Nereus, the United States’ only full-ocean-depth submersible, which was lost at sea in May, plus much, much more.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH Magazine online at: http://www.earthmagazine.org. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.