Hawaii national park summit closed due to ‘elevated seismic activity’

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The National Park Service said Wednesday that the Mauna Loa summit backcountry in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park would be closed due to "elevated seismic activity." 

The closure, which is in effect until further notice, is a precautionary measure. 

Mauna Loa Road and the Mauna Loa Lookout at 6,662 feet elevation remain open to the public.

"Mauna Loa is not erupting. The volcanic alert level remains at advisory, and the aviation color code remains at yellow," the park service added. "U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists will notify the park if conditions change."

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Backcountry on Mauna Loa summit is closed until further notice as a precautionary measure. (NPS Photo/A.Lavalle)

In a status report, the observatory said the national park summit was experiencing heightened unrest. 

The Kilauea Volcano and the National Park is viewed on Dec. 12, 2016 at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii.  (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

"Earthquake activity has been increasing from 5-10 earthquakes per day since June 2022, to 10-20 earthquakes per day in July and August, and reaching approximately 40-50 earthquakes per day over the past two weeks," it noted. "Peak numbers of over 100 earthquakes per day occurred on September 23rd and 29th."

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Inflation or expansion of the summit region is accompanying the activity and has also increased over the course of the past two weeks. 

A tour group near the summit of Mauna Kea looks toward Mauna Loa, 20 miles away.  (Photo by Toni Salama/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The last time Mauna Loa displayed elevated earthquake activity and expansion of the summit was in 2021 from January to March. 

Additional periods of increased earthquake activity have occurred during the 38 years since the last eruption of Mauna Loa in 1984.

A nearly deserted beach at the edge on an old Mauna Loa lava flow is viewed on Dec. 16, 2016 in this aerial photo taken along the Kona Kohala Coast, Hawaii.  (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

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The observatory said that updates for Mauna Loa would be changed from weekly to daily and that it would "issue appropriate updates if conditions change."