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The world’s largest volcano, which put on an extravaganza for weeks in its first eruption in nearly four decades, has subsided, Hawaiian scientists said Tuesday.
At the height of the eruption, Mauna Loa hurled fountains of lava 200 feet into the sky, creating rivers of molten rock down its slopes, a veritable spectacle for volcanologists and helicopter tourists.
Huge fissures in the earth from the volcano, which makes up most of the Big Island of Hawaii, have ejected tons of gas and chunks of volcanic glass, known as Pele’s Hair.
But on Tuesday, the experts of the United States Geological Survey. They said the show was over.
“Mauna Loa is no longer erupting,” the service said in a statement. “Volcanic tremor and earthquakes associated with the eruption have decreased considerably.”
But such is the volume and high temperatures of the viscous rock that the volcano spewed out, that hot spots will be visible for weeks. “The hot spots can remain near the vent, along the channels and in the flow front for days to weeks as the lava flows cool,” the scientists noted.
“However, eruptive activity is not expected to return.”
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