Photos: World’s largest volcano Mauna Loa erupts in Hawaii

By Clara McCourt

Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupted for the first time in 38 years Sunday night.

The volcano is located on the Big Island of Hawaii. It spans 75 miles and rises 5.6 miles from base to summit. Mauna Loa hasn’t hasn’t erupted since 1984 – the longest eruptive pause in its recorded history.

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Lava has been recorded shooting nearly 200 feet into the air, but officials say that it does not threaten nearby communities.

From lava flow to red skies, here’s what the Mauna Loa eruption looked like over the past three days.

Lava flows from the Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP)
People watch the glow from lava erupting from Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Aerial photos taken at 7:15 AM local time (HST) from Civil Air Patrol flight. Northeast rift zone eruption of Mauna Loa. (Natalie Deligne / USGS via The Washington Post)
Waves of orange, glowing lava and ash blasted and billowed from the world’s largest active volcano in its first eruption in 38 years. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP)
Cars are parked near an ancient lava field as a lava flow colors the sky above Mauna Loa, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, near Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
In this long camera exposure, cars drive down Saddle Road as Mauna Loa erupts in the distance. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
Rivers of molten rock could be seen high up on the volcano, venting huge clouds of steam and smoke at the summit on Big Island, and sparking warnings the situation could change rapidly. (Photo by Ronit Fahl / AFP via Getty Images)
The glow of the Mauna Loa eruption is seen through a grove of palm trees, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Kona, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
An altar is built on an old lava field in front of the erupting Mauna Loa, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, near Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
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