Hi Bradley,
A recent article by Peter Lipman of the US Geological Survey estimates that Mauna Loa started erupting sometime between 600,000 and 1,000,000 years ago. Other people had come up with similar estimates previously. The interesting point about Dr. Lipman's article is that he finds evidence that Mauna Loa is slowing down--it is nearing the end of its productive life. Of course that end will take so long to be realized that us humans won't be able to notice it.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland
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