Scientists say the next eruption of Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano is most likely to occur from its northeast rift zone. Eruption forecasting for Mauna Loa is based primarily on the location of past eruptions, the distribution of seismic activity, and ground deformation patterns. Statistical models that incorporate these observations suggest the highest likelihood of eruption from the volcano's northeast rift zone, including the Moku'aweoweo caldera and proximal regions of the rift zone outside of the caldera. However, eruptions do occasionally occur from other parts of the volcano, and an eruption from different locations cannot be ruled out.