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Subject:
Hawaiian Islands and volcanic activity
Category: Science > Earth Sciences Asked by: timespacette-ga List Price: $5.00 |
Posted:
29 Dec 2005 14:02 PST
Expires: 28 Jan 2006 14:02 PST Question ID: 611045 |
Which of all the Hawaiian Islands are least likely to erupt? Which are most? |
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There is no answer at this time. |
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Subject:
Re: Hawaiian Islands and volcanic activity
From: pinkfreud-ga on 29 Dec 2005 14:13 PST |
Kilauea, on the "Big Island" of Hawaii, is said to be the world's most active volcano. The volcanos on Oahu have not erupted for millions of years. These links may be of interest: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/haw_formation.html http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/oahu-eruptions.html |
Subject:
Re: Hawaiian Islands and volcanic activity
From: markvmd-ga on 29 Dec 2005 19:11 PST |
The reason the western Hawaiian volcanoes don't erupt is because they aren't connected anymore. There is essentially one (or a small and very close group) of vent(s) that the Pacific plate is moving westward over. The vent is in the same place but the islands move off and wear away. As they aren't plumbed in anymore, they can't erupt. |
Subject:
Re: Hawaiian Islands and volcanic activity
From: timespacette-ga on 03 Jan 2006 13:33 PST |
I had no idea. Does this mean Kilauea will soon no longer be erupting? (in geological time, I mean) |
Subject:
Re: Hawaiian Islands and volcanic activity
From: hfshaw-ga on 03 Jan 2006 14:28 PST |
As others have commented, the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain is thought to have been formed by the motion over time of the Pacific tectonic plate over a relatively fixed "hotspot" of upwellling magma. The oldest islands, which are now extinct volcanos, are those at the northwest end of the chain, while the youngest, are at the southeast end of the chain. Currently, the hotspot is under the Big Island, which is composed of 5 separate volcanos: Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, and Kohala. Kilauea, on the southeast side is the youngest and most active of the volvanic centers that are above water. The youngest volcano in the chain, Lo'ihi is actually still underwater. It lies to the southeast of Kilauea, and should emerge about the water in several hundred thousand years. I will second pinkfreud's suggestion to check out the Univ of Hawaii's excellent webpages at: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/haw_formation.html and http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/haw_activity.html. A good map of the Hawaiian chain is at http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/i-map/i2809/ |
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