Maunaloa Volcano

Updated: Dec 2, 2025 04:14 GMT - refresh

Shield volcano

Big Island, Hawai'i, 19.48°N / -155.61°W

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Summit height: 4170 m / 13,681 ft

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 22 Mar 2023 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Activity Updates

Mauna Loa volcano with the gentle slopes of a typical shield volcano

Maunaloa (officially renamed as one word from Mauna Loa) is the world's largest and one of its most active volcanoes - a giant shield volcano on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

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Typical eruption style: Dominantly effusive.
Maunaloa volcano eruptions: 1832, 1843, 1849, 1851, 1852, 1855-56, 1859, 1865-66, 1868, 1870(?), 1871, 1872, 1873, 1873-74, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1880-81, 1887, 1892, 1896, 1899, 1903, 1907, 1914-15, 1916, 1919, 1926, 1933, 1935-36, 1940, 1950, 1975, 1984, 2022 (Nov-ongoing)

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
Dec 1, 04:58 am (Universal Time)	1.6 1.9 km	21 km (13 mi) to the E	30 mi southwest of Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info
Sunday, November 30, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Nov 30, 12:56 am (GMT -10)	1.4 7.6 km	16 km (10 mi) to the SE	12 mi north of Pāhala, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info
Saturday, November 29, 2025 GMT (5 quakes)
Nov 29, 12:01 pm (GMT -10)	1.7 5.9 km	17 km (10.6 mi) to the SE	36 mi southwest of Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info
Nov 29, 06:58 pm (Universal Time)	2.1 61 km	21 km (13 mi) to the W	16 mi southeast of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info
Nov 29, 09:09 am (Universal Time)	1.6 20 km	12 km (7.2 mi) to the E	31 mi southwest of Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info
Nov 29, 08:05 am (Universal Time)	1.7 29 km	25 km (16 mi) to the SE	36 mi southwest of Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info
Nov 29, 07:35 am (Universal Time)	1.7 28 km	26 km (16 mi) to the SE	36 mi southwest of Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info
Thursday, November 27, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Nov 27, 06:46 pm (Universal Time)	1.8 36 km	5.2 km (3.2 mi) to the SE	38 mi southwest of Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info
Nov 27, 11:26 am (Universal Time)	1.9 0.7 km	29 km (18 mi) to the S	4.9 mi west of Pāhala, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States	Info

View recent quakes

Background

Mauna Loa, world's largest mountain and volcano, is a archetype of a basaltic shield volcano in its late mature stage of life, and only about 600,000-1,000,000 years old. Although not erupting as frequently as its younger neighbor Kilauea, it is also one of the most active volcanoes of the world. When it erupts, its eruptions are usually huge and produce large rivers of lava that have repeatedly threatened the town of Hilo.
Mauna Loa rises almost 9 km above the sea floor and the weight of the massive mountain has depressed the oceanic crust down by about 8 kilometers, so the whole pile of volcanic rocks produced from Mauna Loa is probably about 8+5+4=17 kilometers! It has eruptions both from its summit, occupied by a large caldera, and its NE and SW rift zones on the flanks. Almost 90% of Mauna Loa's surface is is covered by lavas less than 4000 years old, while about 50% of its surface is covered by lavas no older than about 1500 years old, while about 25% are covered by lava flows younger than about 750 years, i.,e. emplaced after the formation of the Mokuaweoweo summit caldera.

Significant volcanic eruptions: Maunaloa volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Maunaloa has had at least 110 confirmed volcanic eruptions, out of which 40 are documented by historical records, while the others can be inferred from geological evidence.
There is one uncertain or discredited eruption in 1870 from Maunaloa volcano.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Maunaloa volcano since around 1800. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Maunaloa can be found on the news page of Maunaloa volcano.

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths	Damage
2022 Nov 27 - Dec 10	Moku‘aweoweo, Northeast Rift Zone Historical obs./docs.	0
1984 Mar 25 - Apr 15	Moku'aweoweo, SW and NE rift zones Historical obs./docs.	0
1975 Jul 5 - Jul 6	Mokuaweoweo and NE and SW rift zones, Historical obs./docs.	0
1950 Jun 1 - Jun 23	SW rift zone (2440 m) Historical obs./docs.	?
1949 Jan 6 - May 31	Mokuaweoweo and SW rift zone Historical obs./docs.	?
1942 Apr 26 - May 10	NE rift zone (2800 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1940 Apr 7 - Aug 18	Mokuaweoweo and SW rift zone Historical obs./docs.	?
1935 Nov 21 - 1936 Jan 2	NE rift zone (3690 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1933 Dec 2 - Dec 18	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1926 Apr 10 - Apr 28 ?	SW rift (2320 m) Historical obs./docs.	?
1919 Sep 26 - Nov 5 ?	SW rift zone (3450 and 2350 m) Historical obs./docs.	?
1919 Sep 29 (eruption 1919 Sep 26 - Nov 5 ?)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	0			Info
1919 Sep 29: The Mauna Loa volcano eruption of September 28 poured lava into the sea at Alika on the Kona coast on September 30, generating unusual wave activity at times. There was not an accompanying earthquake nor could the velocity of the lava flow generate a tsunami. A possible explanation would be the sudden collapse of the 1.5-day accumulations of lava at or beyond the shoreline (Reference #236). The eruption had begun 26 September at the summit of Mauna Loa, but vents on the south rift opened about midnight of the 28th-29th. One of the lava flows reached the sea at Alika, on the Kona coast, at 04:30 Saturday, 30 September. The discharge of lava into the sea was considerable, and three days later the flow had built a delta into the sea (Reference #80). 1919, Septetmber-October. On September 26, the Mauna Loa volcano, which had been dormant since June 1916, revived. The eruption began at a height of 3300 m, that is, 600 m below the top of the volcano and was observed by Jagger from 18:00 on the 26th to 3:00 on the 27th. After two days of quiet, the eruption resumed at 2:00 on the 29th, but now at a height of 2300 m. A thick flow of lava issued from this lower crater. Less than 24 hours later, it filled up all irregularities of the relief, drove a road through the forest and reached the sea side approximately 28 km (15 miles) from the crater. For 10 days, the flow poured into the water, sometimes generating local tidal waves. Then the eruption began to subside, although volcanic activity was still noticeable on October 23 (Reference #415). Cited references #80 Cox, Doak C., and Joseph Morgan (1977): Local tsunamis and possible local tsunamis in Hawaii. HIG-77-14, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 118 p. #236 Lander, James F., and Patricia A. Lockridge (1989): United States Tsunamis (Including United States Possessions) 1690-1988, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, Colorado, USA, Publication 41-2, 265 p. #415 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1975): A catalogue of tsunamis on the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 1513-1968]. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 204 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5078, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 293 p.] Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1916 May 19 - May 30	SW rift zone (3000 and 2250 m) Historical obs./docs.	?
1914 Nov 25 - 1915 Jan 11	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1907 Jan 9 - Jan 24 or later	SW rift zone (1890 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1903 Sep 1 - Dec 7 ?	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1899 Jul 1 - Jul 23	NE rift zone (3260 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	1
1896 Apr 21 - May 6	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1892 Nov 30 - Dec 3	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1887 Jan 16 - Jan 28 ?	SW rift zone (1740 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1880 Nov 5 - 1881 Aug 10	NE rift zone (3170 m) Historical obs./docs.	1
1880 May 1 - May 6	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	1
1879 Mar 9	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1877 Feb 14 - Feb 24	Mokuaweoweo, submarine west flank Historical obs./docs.	?
1877 Feb 14 (eruption 1877 Feb 14 - Feb 24)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	0			Info
1877 Feb 14: On February 14, there was a strong eruption of the Mauna Lo volcano with the ejection of smoke to a height of 5 km and the effusion of lava. The eruption lasted several days. On the 24th, about about 3:00, an underwater eruption occurred 2 km from Kealakekua. It was accompanied by an earthquake, which was felt along the shore of the bay. The water mass was illuminated with a varying red, dove-blue, then green light. Large chunks of hot lava floated onto the surface. A crack arose between the site of the underwater eruption and the top of the Mauna Loa volcano. The crack extended 5 1/2 km. In the second half of the day, a strong earthquake occurred, which affected many islands of the archipelago and was accompanied by a strong underground rumbling (Reference #415). From 14 to 24 February 1877, evidence of a summit eruption of Mauna Loa was seen from coastal areas on Hawaii. No lava flow extended down the volcano's flanks, but there was evidence later of a submarine eruption and possibly a tsunami (Reference #80). Cited references #80 Cox, Doak C., and Joseph Morgan (1977): Local tsunamis and possible local tsunamis in Hawaii. HIG-77-14, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 118 p. #415 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1975): A catalogue of tsunamis on the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 1513-1968]. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 204 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5078, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 293 p.] Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1876 Feb 13 - Feb 14 ?	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1875 Aug 11 - Aug 18 ?	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1875 Jan 10 - Feb 9 ?	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1873 Apr 20 - 1874 Oct 19 ?	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	1
1873 Jan 6 - Jan 7 ?	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1872 Aug 9 - Sep	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	1
1871 Aug 10 - Aug 30 ?	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
?? 1870 Jan 1 ? - Jan 15 ?	Uncertain Eruption	?
1868 Mar 27 - Apr 22	SW rift zone (1000 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	2
1868 Apr 3 (eruption 1868 Mar 27 - Apr 22)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	2	77	moderate	Info
1868 Apr 3: 1868, April 2 [local time]. Earthquake during eruption generated tsunamis; heavy rains produced mudflows. 46 killed by tsunami, 31 by mudflows. (reference #9675) Smoke and flames appeared in small volume in different places at the top of the Mauna Loa volcano on the 27th (of March, accompanied by light shocks.) Along the entire south coast of the island and in the interior, numerous collapses, slides,and rock falls took place. In Wood Valley between Kapapala and Pahala, a mud flow came down. It was 5 1/2 km long, 1 km wide at the middle and 2 km wide at the head, with an average thickness of 2 m, up to 6, 9 and 12 m in places, such as in depressions of the relief. It covered a village of 10 homes; 31 people died. In the basalt sheets west of Waiohinu, a crack was formed, along which a horizontal shift occurred. Cracks also developed at other places. The earthquake was accompanied by countless recurrent shocks, at least 2000, of which some were also destructive. Several days after the earthquake, strong eruptions of the Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes occurred. Lava flows destroyed 37 homes. (reference #415) Cited references #415 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1975): A catalogue of tsunamis on the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 1513-1968]. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 204 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5078, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 293 p.] #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1865 Dec 30 - 1866 Apr 29 ?	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1859 Jan 23 - Nov 25	North flank (2800 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	1
1855 Aug 11 - 1856 Nov	NE rift zone (3200 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	1
1852 Feb 17 - Mar 11 ?	NE rift zone (2560 m) and Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	2
1851 Aug 8 - Aug 11 ±1 d.	Mokuaweoweo and SW rift zone Historical obs./docs.	?
1849 May	Mokuaweoweo Historical obs./docs.	?
1843 Jan 9 - Apr 10 ?	North flank, Mokuaweoweo and NE rift Historical obs./docs.	?
1832 Jun 20 - Jul 15 ±7 d.	Mokuaweoweo and adjacent vents Historical obs./docs.	?

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Maunaloa Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Maunaloa volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Maunaloa occurred in 2022.

+How often does Maunaloa volcano erupt?

Since 1750, Maunaloa volcano has had at least 40 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 6.9 years.

+How active is Maunaloa volcano at present?

Maunaloa volcano is relatively active: Since 1900, it has had 17 eruptions, and been active during 17 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Maunaloa has been in eruption one in 7.4 years on average. The last eruption was in 2022 and ended 3 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Maunaloa volcano?

The largest eruption of Maunaloa volcano in historic times occurred in 1868. It ranks as a strombolian to vulcanian eruption with a magnitude 2 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Maunaloa Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).