Mauna Loa

Template:Mtnbox start Template:Mtnbox coor dms Template:Mtnbox topo Template:Mtnbox volcano Template:Mtnbox climb Template:Mtnbox finish Mauna Loa is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanic peaks that together form the Island of Hawaii. In Hawaiian, mauna loa means "long mountain". The summit caldera of the volcano is called Moku‘āweoweo. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest volcano and is the exposed (subareal) part of an enormous mid-ocean mountain. Indeed, it is the Earth's most massive mountain, with a volume estimated at 10,000 cubic miles (42,000 km³) and a height—measured from its base some 5000 m (over 16,000 ft) below the ocean surface to the highest point at 4,170 m (56,000 ft) above sea level—of over 9,000 m (> 30,000 ft). Mauna Loa is about 36 m (120 ft) lower than its neighbor, Mauna Kea.

Mauna Loa is part of the []].

There have been some 33 eruptions of Mauna Loa in historical time, the last in March-April, 1984.

The elevation and location of Mauna Loa have made it an important location for atmospheric and other scientific observations. The Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO), located at 3,400 m (11,155 ft) on the northern slope of the mountain, has long been prominent in observations of the Sun. The NOAA Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO), located close by, monitors the global atmosphere at its location well above local influences. Atmospheric carbon dioxide has been measured regularly since 1958 and shows the steadily increasing trend associated with the "greenhouse effect" and global warming.

Mauna Loa is itself observed by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Other prominent Hawaiian volcanoes are Kīlauea, Hualālai, Mauna Kea, and Haleakalā.

See also: List of volcanoes

• Mauna Loa – USGS website
• Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) – NOAA
  • History of MLO CO2 measurement – MLO/NOAA
• Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO) – operated by the High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, Colorado

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  A graph depicting CO2 levels.
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  CO2 data from Mauna Loa.
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  National parks on Hawaii.
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  Solar radiation reduction due to volcanic eruptions.
• Image of Hawai‘i (big island).
  Image of Hawai‘i (big island).
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  Offerings of fruit at a crater rim
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  Walking across the lava flow at the coast