Is Mauna Loa set to erupt? Matthew McConnaughey's home among others in harm's way
BIG ISLAND, HAWAII: Mauna Loa, the most active volcano in the world is giving warnings that it may erupt and authorities in Hawaii are warning Big Island inhabitants. The Big Island is home to around 200,000 people, including comedian Roseanne Barr who purchased a property in 2007. Matthew McConaughey, an Oscar-winning actor, also acquired a house for $7.85 million in Hawaii but lives mostly in Texas.
Although experts claim that an eruption is not imminent, they are on high alert due to a recent increase in earthquakes at the volcano's top. The experts are claiming that lava from the volcano, which last erupted in 1984, would take only a few hours to reach homes closest to vents. To help citizens get ready for a potential emergency, Hawaii's civil defense organization is holding workshops all around the island. A significant chunk of the island might be impacted by an eruption because the volcano takes up 51% of the landmass of Hawaii Island as per the Daily Mail. The officials have advised packing a "go" bag with food, choosing a location to stay when they leave home, and developing a strategy for getting back in touch with family. “Not to panic everybody, but they have to be aware of that you live on the slopes of Mauna Loa. There's a potential for some kind of lava disaster,” said Talmadge Magno, the administrator for Hawaii County Civil Defense as reported by Daily Mail.
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Since 1980, the Big Island's population has more than doubled to 200,000 and many of the most recent arrivals weren't even born when Mauna Loa last erupted, 38 years ago. As a result, there has been a significant increase in construction on the island. Magno stated that this is another reason why authorities are warning the public about the volcano's science and advising them to be ready. Since the middle of last month, when the frequency of summit earthquakes increased from 10 to 20 per day to 40 to 50 per day, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, a division of the US Geological Survey, Mauna Loa has been experiencing "heightened unrest." The hot area beneath the earth's surface that supplies molten rock to Hawaii's volcanoes is thought to be the cause of increasing earthquakes because more magma is pouring into the top reservoir system of Mauna Loa.
Last weekend, county civil defense officials conducted a community meeting in Ocean View, a neighborhood that, in the event that molten rock erupts through, lava could reach in a matter of hours. More than 220 individuals showed up at the meeting. Hawaii's islands are home to a large number of rich, renowned, and famous people. Roseanne Barr purchased a home in 2007 and has been residing there in recent years after getting into trouble for tweeting a series of contentious remarks against Valerie Jarrett, a former senior assistant to President Obama. With images of gorgeous landscapes, sunsets, and family time, Barr chronicles her time in Hawaii on her Instagram account.
Actor Matthew McConaughey, who received an Oscar for his performance, has ties to the Big Island as well. In 2021, he purchased a $7.85 million villa. McConaughey's holiday property is situated in the prestigious Kukio Beach and Golf Club neighborhood which is located in Kailua-Kona, on the island's west coast. The native Texan now resides with his wife Camila Alves and their three children for most of the year at their longstanding Austin residence.
All of Mauna Loa's known eruptions began in the summit crater, according to research geologist Frank Trusdell of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. A little more than half of them remained there, while the other half later ejected lava from vents lower on the mountain. Since 1843, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times. When it last erupted in 1984, lava rushed down its eastern face but stopped 4.5 miles short of Hilo, the largest town on the Big Island.