Viewers swarm to see Hawaii's volcano's glowing lava ooze
Viewers swarm to see Hawaii's volcano's glowing lava ooze
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Hawaii: A Hawaii highway that may soon be covered by flow jammed with thousands of astonished spectators on Wednesday as glowing rivers of lava erupted from the world's largest volcano.

After a 38-year nap, Mauna Loa awoke on Sunday, sending volcanic ash and other debris falling from the sky. Thousands of vehicles jammed a major road near Volcanoes National Park linking the Big Island's east and west coasts, creating an immediate viewing area.

To watch the spectacle on Wednesday, nurse Anne Anderson skipped her overnight shift in fear that the road would soon be closed.

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She remarked as the volcano gasped on the horizon, "This is Mother Nature showing us her face." Thrilling enough, from the bedroom of his rental home, Gordon Brown, a visitor from Loomis, California, could see the flaming orange lava. So he and his wife went outside to have a better look.

All we wanted to do was get as close to it as possible. And it's so bright that it absolutely amazed me," Brown said.

Near the Saddle Road Highway, lava was slowly rolling down the slope and about 10 kilometers away. The road, which travels through a former lava flow, was not known if or when it would be covered.

The road cuts the island in half and connects Hilo and Kailua-Kona. If the Saddle Road is made impassable, people traveling between them will have to take a longer coastal route, increasing travel time by several hours.

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According to Ken Hone, scientist in charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the lava could reach the road in two days at current flow rates, but it will probably take longer.

Hon said, the "lava flow" will likely impede its progress as it expands. To avoid oversleeping and missing the chance to watch the sunrise against the backdrop of Mauna Loa's eruptions, 66-year-old Katherine Tarananda of Waimea set two alarms.

It's exciting," she remarked. "We are in the midst of unspoiled nature. The fact that we live in this place is amazing. I consider myself incredibly lucky to live on an island. Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984. Since written records have been kept since 1843, the current eruption is the 34th to occur.

Visitors to the national park were treated to an extraordinary view of two eruption events happening simultaneously: the glow from Kilauea's lava lake and lava from the Mauna Loa fissure. Its smaller neighbor Kilauea has been erupting since September 2021.

The natural forces displayed impressed a visitor to Las Vegas Abel Brown. Later in the day, they intended to make a close inspection of the helicopter, but not too close.

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According to Brown, if you get really close to it, there's a lot of anxiety and dread. The more powerful and terrifying something is, the closer you are to it.

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