Page 431 - Hawaii: Diving, Surfing, Pearl Harbor, Volcanoes and More

e prepared on your visit. Bring food and scientific observation of the islands. In the
B water since there are no facilities in the hough lava flows oozing from Kilauea 1970s, a mapping project was initiated to gain
park. Dress appropriately with shoes, long T have caused both massive damage more information about the complex geology
pants, and a jacket. Bring binoculars and a and prodigious land building, its eruptions of Hawaii’s seafloor. Hawaiian volcanoes drift
flashlight at night. And don’t forget your more typically result in temperate flows. northwest from the hotspot at a rate of about
camera. Kilauea, the park’s main attrac- As a result, the edges of active vents are 5–10 centimeters (2.0–3.9 in) a year. The hotspot
tion, is one of the most active volcanoes frequently accessible, allowing thousands has migrated south by about 800 kilometers
on the planet. One of five volcanoes that of people to come face to face with the pri- (497 mi) relative to the Emperor chain. Prior to
formed the Big Island, Kilauea sits on the mordial forces that have shaped the Earth. the bend, the hotspot migrated an estimated 7
southeastern flank of Mauna Loa, which at centimeters (2.8 in) per year; the rate of move-
13,677 feet is considered the world’s largest olcanoes National Park is not Disney ment changed at the time of the bend to about
volcano. Kilauea has erupted continuously V World. It’s the real thing, and very 9 centimeters (3.5 in) per year.
since Jan. 3, 1983. real dangers exist. Lava enters the ocean
at 2,100 degrees F., causing seawater to ach successive volcano spends less time
olcanic activity is hazardous and un- explode into steam and molten lava and Eactively attached to the plume. The large
V predictable. Conditions at vent areas rocks to blast skyward. Every day the vol- difference between the youngest and oldest
can change rapidly and portions of the park cano spews more than 2,500 tons of sulfur lavas between Emperor and Hawaiian volcanoes
are often closed for the safety of visitors. dioxide into the atmosphere. So avoid indicates that the hotspot’s velocity is increas-
Don’t set out to view lava flows without coastal areas, don’t approach lava flowing ing. For example, Kohala, the oldest volcano on
checking the park’s website or talking to through vegetation, do not stand or walk in Hawaii island, is one million years old and last
park officials about closures. Hot lava enter- or under fumes. And always carry plenty of erupted 120,000 years ago, a period of just under
ing the ocean is a spectacular sight, but water and a flashlight. 900,000 years; whereas one of the oldest, Detroit
it’s not a phenomenon to be relied upon. Seamount, experienced 18 million or more years
Normally, the shield volcano takes a passive year 1912 marked the founding of the of volcanic activity.
approach and oozes lava from fissures in its T Hawaiian Volcano Observatory by volcan-
side. ologist Thomas Jaggar, initiating continuous