Big Island Volcanoes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section may need a complete rewrite. Please discuss this issue on the talk page. |
 |
This article or section reads like a review and may need cleanup. Please help improve this article to make it neutral in tone and meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (talk, help, how to edit) |
Big Island Volcanoes
All the volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii are shield volcanoes and are formed by the hot spot under the crust of the Earth. The 5 main volanoes of Big Island are Kohala, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and Kilauea. The Big Island is the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain and it still has 2 active volcanoes. The oldest volcano on the Big Island is Kohala and the youngest is Kilauea. However, the youngest volcano in the Hawaiian islands is Loihi, which is still an active submarine volcano and has not yet emerged above sea level.
How are lava tubes formed?
A lava tube is formed with a pahoehoe lava flow. As the lava flows, the top layer is exposed to air and cools quickly while the lava inside is insulated and still flows hot. As the top hardens and the lave flows out the flow keeps a shape that is like a hollow tube. The Thurston Lava Tube was formed through this process by an underground lava flow.
Thurston Lava Tube:
The Thurston Lava Tube was formed about 350-500 years ago. "The lava tube formed about 350-500 years ago. When the eruption stopped the lava drained from the tube. The lava tube is 400 feet long and is surrounded by rainforest. The lava tube is named after Lorrin Thurston, who was a newspaper publisher that played and important part in creating the national park. The Hawaiian name for the Thurston Lava Tube is Nahuku. It is located in the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park, where many tourists visit everyday. It is one of the few lava tubes that are open to the public.
