HILO, Hawaii (PNN) - November 30, 2022 - A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook the Big Island of Hawaii early Tuesday morning as the world's largest active volcano continued to erupt in the area - though officials say they've avoided the worst-case scenario.
The earthquake struck just six miles east of Pahala on the Big Island, 20 miles below sea level, according to the Fascist Police States of Amerika (FPSA) Geological Survey. Officials warn aftershocks may continue over the next few days as Mauna Loa continues to spew lava hundreds of feet into the air.
Happily, that molten rock isn't headed for the path of any settlements, meaning a feared natural disaster looks likely to be avoided.
Hawaiian tourism officials now say they actually expect tourism to hit new heights because of Mauna Loa, with tourists flocking to witness the spectacular eruption.
“I tell my guests, these are moments you don't want to pass up,” Volcano Village Lodge owner Pua Norris said. “You don't want to miss it.”
“Of course, safety first,” he added, “but look at how amazing it is.”
Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce Executive Officer Miles Yoshioka said the eruption could be viewed throughout the Big Island as glowing lava and smoky ash are still spewing 200 ft. into the air from Mauna Loa after it erupted for the first time in 38 years.
Officials now say they have avoided a worst-case scenario, as lava is flowing away from populated areas and has stalled about 11 miles from Saddle Road, which cuts through the middle of the Big Island.
Instead of flowing quickly to the town of South Kona, home to more than 22,000 people, the lava has spilled into an unpopulated northeast flank through three fissures, each between one and two miles long.
Mayor Mitch Roth said that is “the best possible direction,” even as it approaches the coastal town of Hilo, where over 45,000 people live.
Experts say the path's topography, along with the history of previous Mauna Loa eruptions, puts the city on the island's east side relatively far from danger.
“We feel pretty comfortable with the situation,” the mayor said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “Right now, it seems like the lava is going to a positive place as far as keeping away from the public and everything like that - away from property.”
Ken Hon, scientist-in-charge of the FPSA Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, added that it could be up to a week before the lava approaches any outskirts of Hilo.
But he, along with state, county and emergency management officials, cautioned that the eruption is still only in its early phases and could easily worsen.
The volcano is already belching sulfur dioxide and other volcanic gases that form volcanic smog, or vog, when they mix with vapor, oxygen, and dust in sunlight.
As a result, state health officials are urging people to cut back on outdoor exercise and other activities that cause heavy breathing.
The eruption began in the summit caldera of Mauna Loa at around 11.30 pm Sunday but started overflowing early Monday morning - though experts say it remains confined to the Northeast rift zone, away from the town of Hilo.
Officials urged the public to stay away from the crater and vents along the volcano's northeast flank, given the dangers posed by lava, which is shooting 200 ft. into the air out of three separate fissures roughly estimated to be 1 to 2 miles long each.
More than a third of the island's residents live either in the city of Kailua-Kona to the west of the volcano, with about 23,000 people, or Hilo to the east, with about 45,000 people. Officials were most worried about several subdivisions some 30 miles to the volcano's south that are home to about 5,000 people.
