Can you name the 5 volcanoes that form the Big Island of Hawaii? If you said Kilauea volcano, Mauna Kea volcano, Mauna Loa volcano, Kohala volcano and Hualalai volcano--give yourself a pat on the back.
The island of Hawaii is built from five separate shield volcanoes that erupted almost sequentially with one overlapping the other. The following Hawaii volcanoes are from the youngest--very active, to the oldest--extinct.
Kilauea is the world's most active volcano and located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It has been erupting since 1983, and has made new land and destroyed old land at the same time.
Mauna Loa meaning Long Mountain in Hawaiian, is the largest volcano on earth! It is an active volcano with its last eruption occurring in 1984.
Hualalai is a dormant volcano with its highest peak at 8,271 feet above sea level. The last eruption was in 1801 but Hualalai is considered a potentially dangerous volcano that is likely to erupt again sometime in the next 100 years.
Mauna Kea the Hawaiian name meaning White Mountain because of its snow capped peaks during the winter, is the highest mountain in the world when measured from its ocean base to summit, and stands 13,796 feet above sea level and rises 33,000 feet from the ocean floor. It is a dormant volcano.
Kohala is an extinct volcano, thank goodness!
There is a sixth volcano nearby that is named Loihi. It is located fifteen miles off the southeast coast of the Big Island 3,000 feet beneath the Pacific Ocean. Someday, thousands of years from now, Loihi will emerge to form a new island.
We live on the Big Island in the Puna district and have recently observed the glow at night from the newest Kilauea lava flow.
Cool! I would have only guessed that there were 3 volcanoes making up the BI.
Posted by: Sheila | October 23, 2007 at 07:35 AM
Don't feel bad, I missed Kohala and I live on the Big Island!
Posted by: HawaiiVacationGifts | October 27, 2007 at 03:22 AM