History of Hawaiian Volcanoes

How were the great islands of Hawaii created? Well, the answer will depend on to whom you put this question. If you ask the geologists of the world, they will say the islands were formed because of the movements of earth's tectonic plates resulting in the emergence of several lava spewing volcanoes from the sea. However, if you post that question to a native you will probably get the answer in the form of an ancient Hawaiian song of creation called "kumulipo".

As per the geologists, history of Hawaiian volcanoes dates back to more than 70 million years and every island of Hawaii owes its origin to one main volcano at least, though some of the islands are made up of multiple volcanoes. For example, the Big Island has 5 chief volcanoes:
Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, Kilauea and Kohala. The largest active volcano on the earth is Mauna Loa and the most productive of all the volcanoes is Kilauea, which ejects huge amounts of the lava every year. Loihi and Mahukona are the two other volcanoes that are submerged under the sea and add to the submarine base of the Big Island.

The other prominent Hawaiian volcanoes include West Maui volcano and East (Haleakala) Maui volcano on Maui, Lanai volcano on Lanai, Kahoolawe volcano on Kahoolawe, West Molokai volcano and East Molokai volcano on Molokai, Koolau and Waianae volcanoes on O'ahu, Waialeale on Kauai, and Niihau volcano on Niihau. The main volcanoes of all the islands are referred to as shield volcanoes.

Kilauea is the most active and youngest volcano in terms of subaerial (above the sea, in the atmosphere) eruptions with earliest ones estimated to have occurred between 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. It is located on the southeastern side of the Big Island. For many years, it was considered just an extension of Mauna Loa. However, the recent studies done by geologists revealed that it is a separate volcano with its own magma plumbing system. 34 eruptions have been recorded since 1952. The latest eruption activity started in January, 1983, and has been continuously going on since then.

Mauna Loa meaning Long Mountain in English is steadily rising above the sea level and has already attained a height of over 4,000 meters. Its total length from the base to the summit is over 17,000 meters. This massive volcano is spread over half of the Big Island. The first eruption of Mauna Lao is supposed to be between 1,000,000 to 700,000 years ago and its first subaerial eruption is believed to be around 400,000 years ago. This largest active volcano has erupted 33 times since its first recorded eruption in 1843. The last eruption was in 1984. Studies show that it is bound to erupt in the future.

Hualalai is the third Hawaiian volcano that has been active in recent times. The last eruption occurred sometime between the late 1700's and 1801. Six lava vents opened up during that eruption and from two of those, lava poured down into the sea along the western coastline of the Big Island. The Keahole Airport is constructed on the top of the bigger flow. Although, it has been not very active recently except for the earthquakes recorded in 1929, it is estimated that it may erupt within the next century.

Haleakala is located on the eastern side of Maui Island. The popular Haleakala National Park located on the East Maui is visited by both geologists and tourists from all over the world. It has erupted a minimum of 10 times in the last 1,000 years and several more times during the past 30,000 years. Recent research has revealed that it could erupt again sooner than later.

The existence of the magnificent islands of Hawaii can be defined in modern scientific terms today. However, Hawaii's mythological history still continues to be an important part of people's beliefs. The "kumulipo" explains the creation of the beautiful and gifted land of Hawaii in such mythical terms. The formation of Hawaii is also highlighted in many stories and legends associated with Hawaiian volcanoes.

As per the Hawaiian mythology, Pele is the goddess of fire, volcanoes, lightening and dance. There are many legends related to Pele. In of the several versions, she catches fire because of staying too close to the god of fire, Lono-makua. Na-maka-o-Kahai, the goddess of sea and sister of Pele, drives her away. Along with her three brothers, she traveled from Hawaii's northwest leaving her brothers on different islands.

It is mentioned in the ancient Hawaiian chants that Pele was pursued by her elder sister and was trapped by her on Maui Island. After the encounter, the bones of Pele (Kaiwi-o-Pele) were scattered on Kauiki hill and her spirit got away to the Big Island, where it still exists. Pele is believed to move from one island to another. When she tells her travel stories to others, she stomps one of her feet on the earth, creating tremors and another island. Geologists of today realize that there is some amount of truth in these legends, as they know that spots where islands could emerge from the sea do move around.

On the island of Kauai, the stories about the legends of Menehune (the little people) are quite famous. Menehune are thought to be the mythical people who lived before Polynesians and have the power of finishing enormous building tasks overnight. On Maui, the legend of the demigod Maui is worshiped even today. According to ancient Hawaiian stories, Maui detained the sun allowing the people of Hawaii more hours of daylight.

Whether you believe the scientific theories or the ancient Hawaiian texts about the formation of the islands of Hawaii, one thing is quite clear, which is that the volcanoes of Hawaii played and still play a significant role in creating and shaping the rich bio-diversity we see today on Hawaii.

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History of Hawaiian Volcanoes

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