If traveling to Hawaii’s Mauna Loa summit at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was on your wish list this year, your chances of experiencing the volcano are now extremely low.
Following an advisory from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory last week, the park is now closed due to the volcano’s “heightened unrest.” The closure comes during the park’s biggest tourist seasons.
“The recent earthquakes are related to inflation of a magma chamber beneath the summit, but they do not mean that an eruption is imminent nor that progression to an eruption is certain,” said Kate Mulliken, geologist for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
When a volcano finally erupts after years of silence, the impacts can last weeks or even years. While experts continue to monitor the volcano and prepare for an eruption, it’s worth noting that fewer than 100 people have died from eruptions in all of Hawaii’s recorded history — and only one in the last century.
This wouldn’t be the first time access to the volcano was restricted. In 2021, Mauna Loa showed the same signs of elevated earthquake activity. It is one of the world’s most active volcanos, erupting 33 times since 1843. The last eruption was in 1984, making this the longest period with no eruption.
“We expect additional shallow seismicity and other signs of unrest to precede any future eruption if one were to occur,” said Milliken
While the volcano is closed, guests can still check out the Mauna Loa Road and the Mauna Loa Lookout, which sits at 6,662 feet above sea level.
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