Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii

     

 

The Mauna Lona Volcano is large in size and is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Half of the island of Hawaii is made up by the volcano and its sheer size makes it about 85% of every other Hawaiian island combined. The first documented eruption was in 1843, and the most recent eruption took place in 1984. Between 1843 and 1984, an additional 32 eruptions took place. It is believed to erupt again therefore the volcano is currently being monitored at all times.

I will primarily be talking about the recent eruption which took place in 1984. It started on March 25, 1984 and lasted until April 15, 1984. During that 3 week long  eruption, rivers of lava came within 4 miles of the outskirts of the city of Hilo. It paved 16 square miles of land with lava in 3 weeks. Mauna Loa eruptions produced lava at a much higher rate than any other Hawaiian volcano. This resulted in fast moving and long travelled lava flows. High eruption rates like this required quick responses in order to protect life and property. There were no fatalities however some agriculture, forests and crops were destroyed. There was also $62 million dollars in property damage which was assessed from the eruption.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCOXqZp4n7U (Link to a video on the Mauna Loa Volcano in 1984) 

Nighttime photograph of lava heading towards the city of Hilo

In this event, all of the four spheres were present. The biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere were all interacting with one another. It all started with the lithosphere which is also known as the crust and the top layer of the mantle where volcanic eruptions form as they cause molten rocks and hot gases to be pushed through the earths crust. As the volcanoes spewed a lot of gas and matter into the air, it affected the atmosphere by causing it to become polluted. This shows a relation between the lithosphere and atmosphere. The polluted atmosphere also had a negative impact on the biosphere since it  could have caused humans to become sick. The volcano also sent hot lava to flow down on mountains, and caused plants or crops to be destroyed. Which disrupted the biosphere. This a relationship between the lithosphere and biosphere. Volcanoes also affected the hydrosphere because the pollution in the air (atmosphere) due to the ashes caused the water bodies to be polluted. This also shows an interaction between the lithosphere and hydrosphere because of the atmosphere. The hydrosphere relates to the biosphere because water is used by humans and plants for drinking and other purposes. The Mauna Loa volcano is a great example of the 4 spheres interacting together in one event.

4 spheres interacting in the event of a volcano