s long eruptive history and recent activity indicate the East Maui will erupt in the near future (Hawaii Center for Volcano logy).Loihi Seamount, sometimes known as the “youngest volcano” in the Hawaiian chain, is an undersea mountain rising more then three thousand meters above the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Before the 1970’s, Loihi was not known to be an active volcano. Instead, it was thought to be a fairly common old seamount volcano of the type that surrounds the Hawaiian Islands. Later, it was revealed that the Loihi was a young, active volcano. In August 1996, the Loihi volcano rumbled to life again and has been active ever since (Volcanoes Online).The Hawaiian volcanoes are called shield volcanoes, which are the largest volcanoes on earth. The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are the most famous examples. Shield volcanoes are large volcanoes that are built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. It has broad sloping sides and is usually surrounded by gently sloping hills in a circular fan shaped pattern. The volcano is produced by the action of the gas with heat from the earth’s core. This action melts rock turning it into magma. The pressure from the heat of the gas pushes the magma upwards until it explodes. Molten magma shoots upward from deep below the ocean floor and breaks through the drifting plates to form shield volcanoes (Hawaii Center for Volcano logy).There are many volcanic hazards, which threaten the island of Hawaii. Lava flows are the most common of the direct hazards created by the Hawaiian eruptions and pose the greatest threat to property. Flows may endanger people’s property, livelihood, and peace of mind, but seldom their lives. In addition to destroying homes, the flows cover highways and some residents are forced to move from their homes. The speed of lava flow is determined not only by the steepness of the terrain, but also by the volume of the lava that has erupted, be...
