World's largest active volcano Mauna Loa erupts in Hawaii

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The world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii's Mauna Loa, has erupted after 40 years. The US Geological Service (USGS) has upgraded the situation from advisory to “warning” which is the highest classification for a volcanic eruption.  At present the lava flow is mostly contained within the summit, but residents have been placed on alert.

Mauna Loa is located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which covers half of the US state's Big Island. The volcano rises 13,679ft (4,169m) above sea level and spans an area of more than 2,000 sq miles (5,179 sq km).

The eruption began on 27 November 2022 night at Moku'āweoweo, the volcano's summit caldera. Calderas are hollows that form beneath the summit at the end of an eruption.

According to the USGS, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its first documented eruption in 1843. The previous eruption in 1984 sent lava flows within 5 miles of the city of Hilo, the island's most populous town.