Eleanor Finch
The Hawaiian Islands are made up of volcanoes, with the eight main islands comprising 15 volcanoes. The Big Island, the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, is made up of six volcanoes: Mahukona, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. Three of these volcanoes are still active: Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. Kilauea is the most active, with its last eruption in 2018. Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on earth in terms of mass and volume, last erupted in 1984. The other volcanoes on the Big Island are dormant or extinct.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of volcanoes constituting the Island of Hawai'i | 6 |
| Names of the volcanoes | Mahukona, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, Kilauea |
| Number of active volcanoes | 3 |
| Names of the active volcanoes | Hualalai, Mauna Loa, Kilauea |
| Number of dormant volcanoes | 1 |
| Name of the dormant volcano | Mauna Kea |
| Number of extinct volcanoes | 1 |
| Name of the extinct volcano | Kohala |
| Number of submarine volcanoes | 1 |
| Name of the submarine volcano | Kama‘ehuakanaloa (formerly Lo‘ihi Seamount) |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The Big Island is formed by six volcanoes
The Big Island, the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, is formed by six volcanoes. These volcanoes are Mahukona, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. The volcanoes formed one after the other and partially overlap. From oldest to youngest, these volcanoes are: Mahukona, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea.
Mahukona is a small extinct volcano, located off the northwest coast of the Big Island. It is named after a nearby town and is believed to have last erupted over 350,000 years ago. Kohala, the oldest volcano on the island, is located to the north of the Big Island. It is believed to be about one million years old and last erupted about 120,000 years ago.
Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano and the tallest mountain in the world when measured from its base on the seafloor. It last erupted about 3,500 years ago. Hualalai is the third most active volcano on the Island of Hawai'i and has erupted three times in the past 1,000 years and eight times in the past 1,500 years. Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on Earth in terms of mass and volume and makes up most of the landmass of the Big Island. It is one of the two most active volcanoes on the island, along with Kilauea. Kilauea is the most active volcano on the island and is located within the boundaries of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The Hawaiian Islands are located near the Hawaii hotspot, a lava tube reaching directly from the Earth's core to Hawaii. The volcanoes were formed in an assembly line-like process driven by plate motion and a "hot spot," or plume of hot material, deep within the Earth. The age and orientation of the volcanic island chain record the Pacific Plate's direction and rate of movement.
The Constitution: Godless or God-Given?
You may want to see also
Three of these are still active
The Hawaiian Islands are made up of volcanoes—15 volcanoes, to be precise—which are the youngest in a linear chain of more than 129 volcanoes. The chain stretches for about 6,100 kilometres (3,800 miles) across the north Pacific. The Hawaiian Islands were formed more than 70 million years ago, with each island made of one or more volcanoes.
The Big Island, the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, was formed by six volcanoes: Mahukona, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. Three of these are still active: Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. Mauna Loa and Kilauea are the two most active volcanoes on the Island of Hawai'i, with frequent eruptions. Kilauea is the most active of the three, with its last eruption in 2018, while the other two could erupt at any time.
Hualalai, the third most active volcano on the Island of Hawai'i, has erupted three times in the past 1,000 years and eight times in the past 1,500 years. Its most recent eruption was in 1801, and it is considered a potentially dangerous volcano that is overdue for an eruption. Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on earth in terms of mass and volume, last erupted in 1984. It has seen nearly 12 eruptions between 1912 and 2012 and is estimated to have erupted steadily over the last 700,000 years.
The Island of Hawai'i also has dormant volcanoes, such as Mauna Kea, which last erupted about 3,500 years ago, and extinct volcanoes, such as Kohala, which last erupted 60,000 years ago.
Citing the Constitution: Works Cited Entry?
You may want to see also
The volcanoes formed one after the other
The Hawaiian Islands are composed of a chain of volcanoes that began forming over 70 million years ago. The eight main Hawaiian Islands are made up of 15 volcanoes, which are the youngest in a linear chain of more than 129 volcanoes that stretches over 3,600 miles across the North Pacific Ocean. This chain is known as the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain.
The Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain is a well-known example of a large seamount and island chain created by hotspot volcanism. A hotspot is a plume of magma deep within the Earth that produces lava at the surface. The Pacific Plate, which makes up most of the ocean floor in the Pacific Ocean, moves over the Earth's asthenosphere layer in a west-northwest direction. As the plate moves, each volcano moves with it, away from its place of origin above the hotspot. The age and location of the volcanoes, therefore, reflect the direction, rate of movement, and orientation of the Pacific Plate. The volcanoes become younger towards the southeast, with the oldest dated volcano near the northern end of the Emperor Seamount Chain being 81 million years old.
The evolution of Hawaiian volcanoes occurs in several stages of growth and decline. The initial stage of volcano growth is the submarine preshield stage, which is characterised by small-volume eruptions that produce pillow lava. This stage may last for about 200,000 years but produces only a small portion of the final volume of the volcano. As the volcano grows, eruptions become more frequent and voluminous, and the composition of the lava changes. The volcano then enters the shield-building stage, which is the second and most voluminous stage of Hawaiian volcanism. More than 95% of a Hawaiian volcano's volume is erupted during this stage, which may last up to 2 million years.
The Hawaiian Islands were formed by the movement of the Pacific Plate over a hotspot located under the Big Island of Hawaii. This process, known as "assembly line" volcanism, built the Hawaiian Islands one after the other, with the age of each island reflecting its distance from the hotspot. The Big Island of Hawai'i, the southernmost and youngest of the main Hawaiian Islands, is composed of five major volcanoes: Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, and Kohala. Kilauea and Mauna Loa are the most active volcanoes on the island, with frequent eruptions.
Separation of Powers: The Constitution's Longevity Secret
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Kohala is the oldest volcano on the island
The Island of Hawai'i is the youngest of the main Hawaiian Islands and is made up of five volcanoes. Kohala is the oldest of these, with an estimated age of one million years. It is so ancient that it experienced and recorded the reversal of Earth's magnetic field 780,000 years ago.
The volcano is believed to have breached sea level over 500,000 years ago and last erupted 120,000 years ago. It is a shield volcano, cut by multiple deep gorges, which are the product of thousands of years of erosion. Unlike the typical symmetry of other Hawaiian volcanoes, Kohala is shaped like a foot.
Towards the end of its shield-building stage, between 250,000 and 300,000 years ago, a massive landslide destroyed the volcano's northeast flank, reducing its height by over 1,000 metres (3,300 feet). Debris from the landslide was found on the ocean floor up to 130 kilometres (81 miles) away. This event, along with decreasing eruptions and increasing erosion, caused Kohala to slowly weather away and subside into the ocean.
The volcano is located on the northern tip of the Island of Hawai'i, and the northern part of the island is named after it, with two districts known as North and South Kohala. King Kamehameha I, the first King of the unified Hawaiian Islands, was born in North Kohala, and the site is now a historical monument.
Citing the US Constitution: Bluebook Style Guide
You may want to see also
Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth
The Island of Hawai'i is the youngest of the main Hawaiian Islands. It is made up of five subaerial volcanoes, one of which is Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth. It is also the third-largest volcano on the planet, behind Pūhāhonu and the Tamu Massif.
Mauna Loa covers a land area of 5,271 square kilometres (2,035 square miles) and spans a maximum width of 120 kilometres (75 miles). It consists of approximately 65,000 to 80,000 cubic kilometres (15,600 to 19,200 cubic miles) of solid rock, making up more than half of the surface area of the Island of Hawai'i. The volcano rises to a height of 4,170 metres (13,680 feet) above sea level, which is greater than the elevation of Mount Everest from sea level to its summit.
Mauna Loa is one of the most active volcanoes on the Island of Hawai'i, with frequent eruptions. It is currently in the shield-building stage of Hawaiian volcanism, which is the second and most voluminous stage. More than 95% of a Hawaiian volcano's volume is erupted during this stage, which may last up to 2 million years. It is not known exactly how long Mauna Loa has been producing shield-stage lavas, but it is estimated that the earliest preshield flows erupted onto the seafloor between 0.6 and 1 million years ago.
Mauna Loa is slumping eastward along its southwestern rift zone, pushing against Kīlauea, another volcano on the Island of Hawai'i. This interaction has generated large earthquakes in the past and resulted in a significant area of debris off Kīlauea's seaward flank known as the Hilina Slump. The western side of Mauna Loa is believed to have undergone a massive slump collapse between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago, and the residue from this event is still visible today.
Military Deployment: Constitutional Boundaries and the US
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
There are six volcanoes on the Island of Hawai'i, also known as the Big Island.
The six volcanoes, listed from oldest to youngest, are: Mahukona, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea.
Three of the volcanoes are still active and could erupt at any time: Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. Kilauea is the most active and last erupted in 2018. Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984. Mauna Kea is dormant, Kohala is extinct, and Mahukona is likely extinct and probably never breached the ocean surface.
Yes, the Island of Hawai'i is part of the Hawaiian Islands, which are made up of 15 volcanoes. The chain of Hawaiian Islands and volcanoes extends over 3,000 miles (nearly 5,000 km) across the Pacific Ocean.
The Hawaiian Islands are located near the Hawaii hotspot, a lava tube reaching from the Earth's core to Hawaii. This causes volcanic activity and the constant molding and shaping of the landscape.
