Volcano Watch — Sightseers Jam Roads and Airspace During Mauna Loa's 1949 Summit Eruption

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Around the same time, island residents with clear views of Mauna Loa saw puffs of fume rising above the volcano's summit. These sights and sounds signaled the beginning of Mauna Loa's second longest summit eruption since 1874.

Lava initially erupted from a series of fissures 5 km (3 miles) long that extended across the southwest floor of Moku`aweoweo (Mauna Loa's summit caldera), through the steep caldera wall, and down the upper southwest rift zone. A segment of the caldera fissure also cut through the cinder cone formed during Mauna Loa's 1940 summit eruption.

During the first few hours, a nearly continuous line of lava fountains up to 30 m (100 feet) high gushed from the entire length of fissures. By the morning of January 7, only four short fissures remained active. Yet, within 24 hours of the eruption's onset, most of the southern half of the caldera floor had been buried beneath new pahoehoe flows, leaving the 1940 cone protruding as an island above a sea of molten lava.

Small fissures outside the caldera—on the uppermost part of Mauna Loa's southwest rift zone-erupted fluid, fast-moving lava flows that advanced westward about 10 km (6 miles). This activity resulted in a short-lived evacuation of Honaunau residents on January 7.

By January 9, the eruption was confined to two lava fountains at the southwest edge of Moku`aweoweo. These fountains grew more vigorous over the next two weeks, reaching heights of more than 150 m (500 feet) on January 23, with some lava bursts estimated to be over 240 m (800 feet) high.

Frothy lava fragments ejected in the high fountains piled up against the caldera wall and on the caldera rim, creating a conspicuous cone of pumice and fine cinder. Much of the ejecta was also blown west of the cone, where it formed a blanket of pumice several meters (yards) thick, 0.8 km (0.5 mile) wide, and 1.6 km (1 mile) long.

Lava flowing eastward from the fountains breached the east side of the cone, forming a pool of molten lava that fed open channels and lava tubes across the caldera floor. Some south-moving flows cascaded into South Pit, a crater adjoining the south side of the caldera.

Lava gradually filled South Pit until it overflowed on January 25, spilling to the southeast. This flow advanced almost 9 km (5.5 miles) down the volcano's flank—to about 10 km (6 miles) upslope of Wood Valley—before stalling on January 31.

Direct and continuous observation of the eruption was hindered by the difficulty of reaching Mauna Loa's summit at 4,170 m (13,680 feet) above sea level, especially during harsh winter storms, but people flocked to the island to view it from afar. Swarms of planes circled Moku`aweoweo while hundreds of vehicles jammed roads leading to the volcano. There was even a special steamer excursion from Honolulu to allow passengers to view the eruption from the sea.

Eruptive activity began to weaken in early February. As the fountains decreased in size, they erupted denser lava fragments, creating a small, double "conelet" of spatter and coarse cinder within the breached pumice cone.

On February 5, the lava fountains ceased, and, for a time, the eruption seemed to be over. However, fume rising from the summit was frequently observed through the rest of February and March. On several occasions, a distinct glow could also be seen, indicating that magma remained high in the conduit.

Around April 1, the eruption resumed in Moku`aweoweo and continued through the end of May. During this period, continuous quiet effusion of lava built a steep-sided lava cone east of the pumice cone and sent sluggish `a`a flows across the eastern caldera floor and into South Pit.

Exactly when the 1949 summit eruption ended is uncertain, but it's estimated to be on June 1. If so, it lasted 147 days—second only to the 560-day-long summit eruption in 1873-74.

To see Webcam images of Mauna Loa's summit, go to http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cams/MLcam/.

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Volcano Activity Update

The Waikupanaha and Kupapa`u ocean entries remain active. After months of surface flows, the lava tube feeding the Kupapa`u entry has established itself. There have been no new breakouts on the coastal plain in nearly two weeks, but there was a minor breakout near the top of the pali in the past week.

At Kīlauea's summit, the vent within Halema`uma`u Crater continues to emit elevated amounts of sulfur dioxide gas, resulting in high concentrations of sulfur dioxide downwind. Bright glow and loud vent noises during the past week indicate that a small lava lake is still present at shallow levels below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater.

Visit our Web site for detailed Kīlauea and Mauna Loa activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kīlauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov. skip past bottom navigational bar