09-14-2014, 08:15 PM
I checked the latest info at the HVO site about Mauna Kea:
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/maunaloastatus.php
Bear in mind this report was 4th September - think they have other things to keep them busy right now and think they are only doing monthly reports for Mauna Loa
"Seismicity: Seismicity at Mauna Loa remains elevated in several parts of the volcano. In early August a swarm of Deep (45-50 km) Long Period (DLP) earthquakes occurred under the volcano. It was the most numerous swarm of earthquakes in this region since a swarm of DLP earthquakes and deformation in 2004 and 2005. It is common at Mauna Loa and other volcanoes worldwide to associate deep magma intrusion with the occurrence of DLP earthquakes. Earthquake rates on the Upper Southwest Rift Zone (Sulfur Cone) and West Flank remain elevated, though similar to the past couple of months. Seismicity rates in the Moku#699;#257;weoweo Crater increased over previous months with at over 20 events in the past month at shallow (<2 km) depths. All earthquakes in the past month have been small relative to earthquake sequences observed before eruptions in 1975 and 1984."
So my layperson opinion is there are indications of magma intrusion but nothing worrying right now, but something is going on.
Many years ago I remember reading that geologists believed the eruptions at Kilauea and Mauna Loa were not connected, but also remember reading that the 2002 Mother's Day flow from Kilauea made them think that possibly the plumbing between the two volcanoes was actually connected in some way. I'll see if I can find something that suggests this isn't a figment of my imagination...
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/maunaloastatus.php
Bear in mind this report was 4th September - think they have other things to keep them busy right now and think they are only doing monthly reports for Mauna Loa
"Seismicity: Seismicity at Mauna Loa remains elevated in several parts of the volcano. In early August a swarm of Deep (45-50 km) Long Period (DLP) earthquakes occurred under the volcano. It was the most numerous swarm of earthquakes in this region since a swarm of DLP earthquakes and deformation in 2004 and 2005. It is common at Mauna Loa and other volcanoes worldwide to associate deep magma intrusion with the occurrence of DLP earthquakes. Earthquake rates on the Upper Southwest Rift Zone (Sulfur Cone) and West Flank remain elevated, though similar to the past couple of months. Seismicity rates in the Moku#699;#257;weoweo Crater increased over previous months with at over 20 events in the past month at shallow (<2 km) depths. All earthquakes in the past month have been small relative to earthquake sequences observed before eruptions in 1975 and 1984."
So my layperson opinion is there are indications of magma intrusion but nothing worrying right now, but something is going on.
Many years ago I remember reading that geologists believed the eruptions at Kilauea and Mauna Loa were not connected, but also remember reading that the 2002 Mother's Day flow from Kilauea made them think that possibly the plumbing between the two volcanoes was actually connected in some way. I'll see if I can find something that suggests this isn't a figment of my imagination...