Mauna Loa Volcano...When was the most devastating eruption, where and what damage, and how many deaths occurred?

rocky Lori Probst

Dear Lori,

Only the 1868 eruption, low on the Southwest Rift Zone, caused fatalities. About 30 people died from fast moving lava flows. Cattle and buildings were also lost.

A housing development, with about 1,500 homes, is now in the same area as the 1868 eruption.

Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota

Sources of Information:
Barnard, W.M., 1990, Mauna Loa - A source Book Historical eruptions and exploration, volume one: from 1778 through 1907: Fredonia, NY, Walter Barnard, 353 p.

Simkin, T., and Siebert, L., 1994, Volcanoes of the World: Geoscience Press, Tucson, Arizona, 349 p.

Trusdell, F.A., 1995, Lava flow hazards and risk assessment on Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii, in Rhodes. J.M., and Lockwood, J.P., editors, Mauna Loa revealed: Structure, composition, history, and hazards: Washington, DC, American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Monograph 92, 348 p. 

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