Volcano Stories — Season 1, Episode 18: Mauna Loa: The Hawaii Giant

Episode synopsis

In Hawaii, Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on the planet. Its colossal mass could cause unsuspected dangers : its unstable flanks could collapse into the ocean and cause a mega-tsunami. Gérard Fryer, a geophysicist, devoted his entire life to the study of this unknown phenomenon: by entering the water, this enormous mass of rock forms giant waves, 300 meters high. Other tsunamis caused by earthquakes around the Pacific regularly affect the island’s coast. The volcano’s peak is so high that scientists have settled there to study global warming.

About Volcano Stories

No two volcanoes are alike; each one has its own distinctive landscape, climate, and geological context. Just as unique are the people we meet along the way who help us comprehend how greatly our planet – and our lives – have been shaped by volcanic phenomena. For the scientific aspect of each episode, we explore the very diverse range of questions raised by volcanic phenomena in such varied fields as earth sciences, climatology, biodiversity, oceanography, geography, agronomics, and archaeology. The cultural part of the show delves into mythology, religion, philosophy, folk and artistic traditions, cooking, and ways of life.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Etna: The Mountain Mountain
• E2Bromo - The Sacred Volcano of Java
• E3Tanzania - A Volcano on Maasai Territory
• E4Westman Islands - The Volcanic Guardians of Iceland
• E5Unzen - Man Versus Giant
• E6Hawaii - The Lava of Kilauea
• E7Kawah Ijen: The Hell of Sulfur
• E8Auvergne: The Mysteries of Its Sleeping Giants
• E9Ecuador - Beneath the Cotopaxi Glacier
• E10Naples: A Volcano Can Hide Another
• E11Aeolian Islands - From Hell to Paradise
• E12New Zealand: Human Treasures