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Photo and Video Chronology - Mauna Loa - June 2, 1950

By Mauna Loa June 2, 1950

Photos from the 1950 eruption of Mauna Loa.

Mauna Loa 1950 Eruption

Mauna Loa 1950 Eruption...
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
On June 1, 1950, a 2.4-km (1.5 mi) long fissure erupted high on Mauna Loa's Southwest Rift Zone at 9:04 p.m. Minutes later, the roar of lava fountains could be heard up to 24 km (15 mi) away. Within three hours, an ‘A‘ā lava flow crossed the main highway on the west coast of the Island of Hawai‘i and inundated the village of Pahoehoe (all villagers reached safety unharmed, but, for some, it was a close call). Thirty-five minutes later, lava entered the ocean, creating billowy clouds of steam that rose 3,000 m (10,000 ft) into the air. This Mauna Loa eruption destroyed about two dozen structures and cut Highway 11 in three places, burying more than 1.6 km (1 mi) of the road, before ending on June 23. This aerial photo shows the erupting fissure early on the morning of June 2, 1950. The glow from it could be seen all the way to O‘ahu. Photo credit: Air National Guard, 199th Fighter Squadron.
A fast-moving ‘s‘ā flow erupted from Mauna Loa in 1950 as it advanc...
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This aerial photo shows the Ka‘apuna lava flow erupted from Mauna Loa in 1950 as it advanced through the forest at about 3,000 feet elevation on the morning of June 2. This rapidly moving ‘a‘ā lava flow traveled from the Southwest Rift Zone vent to the ocean in about 17 hours. Earlier flows from this same eruption reached the ocean in as little as three hours. A narrative of the 1950 Mauna Loa eruption, which began on June 1 and ended on June 23, is posted at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/maunaloa/history/50_06_01/. Photo credit: Air National Guard, 199th Fighter Squadron.

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