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 approximately 18,000 cubic miles (75,000 km³) (Kaye, 2002) and a height—measured from its base some 5,000 m (over 16,000 ft) below the ocean surface to the highest point at 4,170 m (13,680 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 makes up about 85% of the Hawaiian Islands.

Mauna Loa is part of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

There have been some 33 eruptions of Mauna Loa in historical time, the last in March-April, 1984 (Lockwood, 1995).

(Source: Wikipedia)

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