Monday, January 23, 2012

Hawaiian Volcanoes Alive Forever ?




Mauna Loa is an active volcano in Hawaii. It is located on the western part of Hawaii’s largest island and is one of the largest volcanoes of the world. Almost 50% of the island of Hawaii is composed of cooled lava of volcanoes Mauna Loa and Kilauea. The main crater of the volcano Mauna Loa is located at an altitude of 4170 meters. 




However, the lava from the volcano appears on the fringes of the mountains, even in the underwater parts of the Hawaiian coast. These two Hawaiian volcanoes are typical of those occurring in underwater volcanic eruptions. Namely, it is considered that the greater part of the island emerged from the lava cooled underwater eruption. Interestingly, the total height of the volcano, measured from its base under the ocean, is 9000 meters.







Also, Mauna Kea, dormant volcano on the same island if measured in this way is 10250 meters high. In both cases it is more than the highest point on the land of our planet – Mount Everest! Volcanoes that are formed by cooled lava are relatively rare. They make up less than 10% of all volcanoes on Earth. Also, the number of eruptions that come from these volcanoes has a relatively small share in the total number of eruptions. Mauna Loa is one of the biggest attractions in Hawaii, at least in those moments when there is no eruption. It is interesting that the height of the volcano eruption increases with each new.