The Hawaiian Islands began their journey approximately 70 million years ago. Over the years many Hawaii volcanoes broke through the ocean's floor and, emerging from the dark bottom of the Pacific, formed islands. Many of these island eroded with time returning to the ocean floor. Each hawaiian island was created just like that. One or two volcanoes, unstoppable nature forces as they are, made their way to the surface and there continue making eruption until the cooling lava, the geographical changes and time, sculpt this beautiful group of Islands into what we see today. Everyone of the Hawaiian islands was build by five different volcanoes: Kilauea (one of the world's most active volcanoes), Mauna Loa (the world's most massive volcano), Hualalai, Haleakala and Lo`ihi which is the youngest volcano of the Hawaiian Volcanic Chain and it still 1000 meters beneath the Pacific Ocean's surface.
This five volcanoes are the consequence of a hot spot in the Earth's mantle, that over million of years have move slightly. Nowadays the hot spot is located beneath the south eastern part of Hawaii. For millions of years countless eruptions built the volcanoes that eventually rose above the sea level giving birth to the islands. Because seafloor is always shifting, the hot spot moves about 9 cm (northwest) per year. This is why along the years the volcanoes stop erupting, eventually they got torn away from the ocean's floor and the hot spot and moved northwestward. This process repeat over millions and millions of years forged the Hawaiian archipelago.
As we mention before Hawaiian youngest volcano is the Lo'ihi seamount ( Lo'hi means long in Hawaiian). This “baby” volcano is a submarine volcano and it rises 969 meters above the ocean's floor, making it's eruption almost impossible to see but not to feel. Because Lo'ihi is an active volcano, it generates frequent earthquakes like the one felt in July 16, 1996.
Kilauea, located in the big Island of Hawaii on a flank of Mauna Loa so for many years was thought to be a satellite crater of this giant volcano (Mauna Loa) and not the separated volcano that it is. According to the legends Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess, dwells at the Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes.
Rising above the sea level over 4 km and descending for over 5 km until it reaches the ocean floor, the Mauna Loa is the largest volcanoes of the Earth. Honoring it's Hawaiian name which translates to “Long mountain” , the Mauna Loa summit is over 17km high and it's mass is half of the island of Hawaii and 85 of the hole archipelago.
Hualalai is the third most active volcano in the Hawaiian archipelago and 80 of its surface has been cover in lava flows. Hawaii tallest volcano is Mauna Kea it summit rises 4 205 meters above the sea level. In Hawaiian 'Mauna Kea' means 'White Mountain.' because this volcano's summit is so high the snow falls on it and it can't be seen from sea level. Is not active and it las t erupted about 4 500.
The oldest of Hawain volcanoes is Kohala because it is believe that he rose above sea level about 500 000 years ago. About 250 million years ago and gigantic landslide sank the northeast flank into the ocean where it lie nowadays.
If you want to be face to face with an active volcano, and see boiling hot lava shooting out of the ground or want to enjoy the sea breeze as you hike on of the Hawaiian Volcanoes, come to this magical archipelago and enjoy this spectacle that nature, the ocean and time has sculpt for us.
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