Friday Dreaming – The Mighty Volcanoes of Hawaii
Written by AndyFor our Friday dream holidays, we take a look at Hawaii, known to many of us today as a collection of tropical island paradises, where lots of hula girls play ukulele in grass skirts and coconut bras – but these islands have a much more firey, raw past that is often overlooked. If you love Hawaii appreciating where they come from is what really make the Hawaiian islands so amazing.
The stunning power of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands
The “Hawaii Shield” as the archipelago is known to geologist, was formed on the seafloor of the Pacific 500,000 year ago from a series of underwater volcanic eruptions that resulted in the aftermath of formation of Hawaii’s biggest volcano today – Mauna Loa. This triggered a chain reaction that has resulted in the formation of all the islands that are located in Hawaii today.
Due to Hawaii’s location on the Pacific tectonic plate as has turned the islands and volcanoes of Hawaii into a main hotspot, where due to the pressure and uplift creates a mass amount of lava. This all contributes to the plates moving at a rate of 9cm per year in the direction of the north-east, which is the overall reason for the scale and number of volcanic eruptions in the region.
The Amazing Mauna Loa
Not many people know this but Mauna Loa is even bigger than Mount Everest itself, but is obviously classified as a volcano so cannot have the title of “world’s highest mountain”. Towering a massive 56,000 ft above sea level it beats Everest by a staggering 27,000 ft!
When it was first formed, Mauna Loa brought about a rich, fertile but barren volcanic landscape. However due to the fertility of the soil it attracted many forms of wildlife and birds and eventually human settlers in the form of the Polynesians and eventually Europeans.
Although Mauna Loa is frequently active today, it does not have huge gassy eruption all the time unlike it’s European cousins. Mauna Loa is more famous for its constant flowing rivers of molten lava that have helped create the spectacular scenery that you will find all of Hawaii’s volcanoes within.
Go Back to Your Roots
If you wish to discover the roots and foundations of the land you call your home, there’s no better place than to get to grips with that than visiting the volcanoes of Hawaii. See how islands a born and crushed with a centuries instant. Witness the pure power of the rivers of molten lava that are constantly sculpting the landscape they inhabit. There’s no better place on earth to really discover and retrace our human evolution than beholding the spectacle that helped build the land we now inhabit ourselves -the volcano.
For a trip with a difference why not take a holiday of discovery that will have you looking as far back into our past as our own primordial roots and origins. As well as being in the beautiful Hawaii, I’m sure a few cocktails out of coconuts on one of their pristine beaches will be order.
Tags: hawaii, Travel, volcano
