Qualla: 2022 Eruption of Mauna Loa

2022 Eruption of Mauna Loa: Introduction

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The scientist in charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory called it his "favorite eruption." That might sound cavalier for an event that prompted an emergency proclamation, halted climate research, and sent lava streaming toward the only highway crossing the Big Island -- but the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa earned its odd compliment. After 38 years of quiet, the longest dormant stretch in the volcano's recorded history, Mauna Loa awoke just before midnight on November 27, 2022. The timing carried weight beyond geology: it was La Ku'oko'a, Hawaiian Independence Day, and for many Native Hawaiians the eruption held spiritual as much as scientific significance.

2022 Eruption of Mauna Loa: Thirty-Eight Years of Waiting

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Mauna Loa is a shield volcano so massive it covers half the Big Island and rises 13,679 feet above sea level, just slightly shorter than neighboring Mauna Kea. When it erupts, it produces voluminous, fast-moving lava flows rather than explosive blasts. The 2022 event was the volc...

2022 Eruption of Mauna Loa: Fissures in the Dark

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

At 11:30 p.m. on November 27, lava broke through the floor of the summit caldera. The aviation color code jumped from Yellow to Red. Within three hours, the glow was visible from Kailua-Kona, across the island. By 6:30 the next morning, the eruption had migrated to the Northeast ...

2022 Eruption of Mauna Loa: The Keeling Curve Goes Dark

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

One of the eruption's most unexpected casualties was the Keeling Curve. A lava flow from the third fissure crossed the access road to Mauna Loa Observatory on the evening of November 28, cutting power to the instruments that have tracked atmospheric carbon dioxide since 1958. Tha...

2022 Eruption of Mauna Loa: A Highway Spared

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

As lava crept toward Saddle Road -- the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, the only route connecting the island's east and west sides -- Hawaii's governor activated 20 National Guard members and the Department of Transportation prepared to close the highway between mile markers 8.8 and 21...

2022 Eruption of Mauna Loa: Fire on Independence Day

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

For Native Hawaiians, the eruption's timing on La Ku'oko'a was an event of cultural and spiritual resonance, connecting the volcanic forces of the land with a day already charged with meaning. Tourism surged as well: hotels sold out across the island, helicopter tour operators ra...