Waianae Range

Waianae Range

Waiʻanae Range (sometimes referred to as the Waianae Mountains) is the eroded remains of an ancient shield volcano that comprises the western half of the Hawaiian Island of Oʻahu.[1] Its crest, at Kaʻala, is the highest peak on Oʻahu at 4,025 feet (1,227 m).

Like the neighboring Koʻolau, the Waiʻanae Range is not a mountain range in the sense most people are familiar with, as the mountain range as a whole was created from a single volcano.

The oldest lava dated from the volcano are about 3.9 million years old. About 3.2 million years ago, the volcano's activity changed, the rate of eruption started to decrease and the composition of the lava erupted from the volcano changed. The volcano is thought to have last erupted about 2.5 million years ago.

When active, the Waiʻanae volcano's center of activity was at present-day Lualualei Valley. Intense erosion on the western flank of the mountain has destroyed much of those flanks. Thus, the mountain today is much smaller than it was when the volcano was active.

Interestingly, while the western part of the mountain has been destroyed by erosion, the eastern part is still in a youthful stage of erosion. This is considered somewhat strange by some geologists since the western part of the volcano is on the leeward side of the island; thus, most rain falls on the eastern side of the volcano. Given this information, more erosion would be expected on the eastern portion of the mountain. One theory to explain this odd erosion pattern is that a large landslide cut away the western portion of the volcano. The faults from this huge landslide weakened the rock, making the western part of the mountain much more susceptible to erosion than the eastern side.


References

  1. ^ Rubin, Ken; Brandon Doo (11 July 1998). "Waianae Volcanoe". Hawaii Center for Volcanology. http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/waianae.html. Retrieved 23 July 2010. 


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Waianae Range — ▪ mountains, Hawaii, United States Hawaiian  Wai‘anae        mountain range forming the western coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, U.S. The range is the oldest area of volcanic activity on the island. It is 22 miles (35 km) long and 9 miles (14 km)… …   Universalium

  • Koolau Range — ▪ mountains, Hawaii, United States  mountains paralleling for 37 miles (60 km) the eastern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, U.S. The range was formed by volcanic eruptions and has an average width of 13 miles (21 km). The original caldera, 6 miles… …   Universalium

  • Oahu — /oh ah hooh/, n. an island in central Hawaii: third largest and most important island of the state; location of Honolulu. 630,528; 589 sq. mi. (1525 sq. km). * * * Island (pop., 2000: 876,165) of Hawaii, U.S. Situated between the islands of Kauai …   Universalium

  • Kaʻala — Ka ala …   Wikipedia

  • Melanthera tenuifolia — Conservation status Critically Imperiled (NatureServe) Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Alsinidendron obovatum — ID 2865 Symbol Key ALOB4 Common Name Waianae Range alsinidendron Family Caryophyllaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution HI Growth Habit Subshrub, Shrub …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Hedyotis degeneri — ID 38914 Symbol Key HEDE3 Common Name Waianae Range starviolet Family Rubiaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution HI Growth Habit Shrub Duration …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Lepidium arbuscula — ID 46115 Symbol Key LEAR5 Common Name Waianae Range pepperwort Family Brassicaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution HI Growth Habit Subshrub, Shrub …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Lipochaeta tenuifolia — ID 48198 Symbol Key LITE7 Common Name Waianae Range nehe Family Asteraceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution HI Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb Dur …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Lobelia monostachya — ID 48429 Symbol Key LOMO3 Common Name Waianae Range lobelia Family Campanulaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution HI Growth Habit Shrub Duration …   USDA Plant Characteristics

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”