HONOLULU (AP) 鈥� Scientists lowered the alert level for the on Hawaii's Big Island from a warning to a watch on Saturday and said the mountain's first eruption in nearly 40 years may soon end.
The U.S. Geological Survey鈥檚 Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a bulletin that the eruption on the mountain's northeast rift zone was continuing, but lava output and volcanic gas emissions were 鈥済reatly reduced.鈥�
鈥淗igh eruption rates will not resume based on past eruptive behavior and current behavior suggests that the eruption may end soon,鈥� the observatory said. 鈥淗owever, an inflationary trend of Mauna Loa鈥檚 summit is accompanying the decreased activity and there is a small possibility that the eruption could continue at very low eruptive rates.鈥�
Meanwhile, it said, a lava flow front had 鈥渟tagnated鈥� nearly 2 miles from , the vital highway that residents and tourists alike use to travel between the city of Hilo on the east side of the island and coastal resorts to the west.
that the road was no longer under from the lava, allaying fears previously that it could be cut off.
Mauna Loa began spewing molten rock Nov. 27 after being quiet for 38 years, drawing onlookers to take in the incandescent spectacle and setting some nerves on edge early on among people who've lived through destructive eruptions. For many Native Hawaiians, the phenomenon has a .
The observatory said its scientists were continuing to monitor the volcano closely, and flight restrictions remained in place in the area up to 1,500 feet (457 meters) above ground level.
The Associated Press
