The world’s largest active volcano on Hawaii has erupted for the first time in 38 years triggering more than a dozen earthquakes including one measuring 4.2magnitude

• USGS said eruption began in the summit caldera of Mauna Loa on Sunday night 
• Service warned early eruption stages of the volcano can be ‘very dynamic’
• Service later upgraded volcano alert level from ‘advisory’ to ‘warning’

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa – the world’s largest active volcano – has erupted, the U.S. Geological Service’s (USGS) volcanic activity service has said.

The eruption began in the summit caldera of Mauna Loa on Sunday night, according to a notification from the USGS.

‘At this time, lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities,’ the notification said.

However, the notification warned, based on previous events, that the early eruption stages of this volcano can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly. The volcano alert level was later upgraded from an ‘advisory’ to a ‘warning.’

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa – the world’s largest active volcano – has erupted, the U.S. Geological Service’s (USGS) volcanic activity service has said. Pictured: An image released by the USGS shows the lava flow from Sunday night’s eruption

The notification added that the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) would conduct aerial reconnaissance to assess hazards and better describe the eruption.

Over a dozen earthquakes of more than 2.5 magnitude struck the region in the last two hours, according to the USGS, with one measuring 4.2 in magnitude.

Scientists had been on alert because of a recent spike in earthquakes at the summit of the volcano, which last erupted in 1984. 

Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that together make up the Big Island of Hawaii, which is the southernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago.

At 13,679 feet above the Pacific Ocean, it is not the tallest (that title goes to Mauna Kea) but it’s the largest and makes up about half of the island’s land mass.

It sits immediately north of Kilauea volcano, which is currently erupting from its summit crater. Kilauea is well-known for a 2018 eruption that destroyed 700 homes and sent rivers of lava spreading across farms and into the ocean.

Some of Mauna Loa’s slopes are much steeper than Kilauea’s so when it erupts, its lava can flow much faster. During a 1950 eruption, the mountain’s lava traveled 15 miles to the ocean in less than three hours. 

Mauna Loa last erupted 38 years ago in April 1984, sending a flow of lava within 5 miles of the city of Hilo. In written history, dating to 1843, it’s erupted 33 times. 

The Big Island is mostly rural and is home to cattle ranches, coffee farms and beach resorts. It’s about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Hawaii’s most populous island, Oahu, where the state capital Honolulu and beach resort Waikiki are both located.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow…

Pictured: Molten rock flows from Mauna Loa, located on the south-central part of the island of Hawaii, on March 26, 1984

Pictured: A map showing lava flow hazard zones for Hawaii’s Big Island

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