Glossary Terms
The Hawaiian Islands stretch about 1,600 miles from the island of Hawai‘i to Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. These islands are part
of a volcanic chain that runs nearly 4,000 miles from the Aleutian
Islands to the central Pacific Ocean, formed from a combination of tectonic
plate movement and a volcanic hotspot that now lies beneath the Island of Hawai‘i.
These islands range in age from nearly 30 million years old—Midway Atoll in the northwest—to land currently being formed
by volcanic eruptions on Hawai‘i (Juvik and
Juvik 1998).
Like all regions of the Hawaiian Islands, the geology and geomorphology of Wai‘anae are based on its individual volcanic origins and history. The island of O‘ahu was formed by two volcanoes, the Wai‘anae and Ko‘olau, beginning approximately four million years ago (Stearns and Vaksvik 1935). Soils in the Wai‘anae moku are a result of its volcanic history, as well as recent erosion processes. Volcanic eruption deposited lava flows and pyroclastics that built the main mass of the Wai‘anae volcano, which has since gradually eroded to its current physical characteristics.
The following sections discuss in greater depth the formation and features of O‘ahu and the Wai‘anae moku and the major soil types in Wai‘anae.
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Video clip of lava eruption, building land mass on Hawai‘i. Source: U.S. Geological Survey |
Video clip of lava pouring into the ocean, building land mass on Hawai‘i. Source: U.S. Geological Survey |
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"Then, a strong earthquake shook the entire island of O‘ahu, and the people of Mākua heard a great roar from something nearby their place. Looking to the swirling water of Kïlauea, they saw a great black mass rise out of the swirling water of Kïlauea.."
– Excerpt from He Mo‘olelo Ka‘ao no Hi‘iaka-i-ka-poli-o-Pele
Juvik, S.P. and J.O. Juvik. 1998. Atlas of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press.
Stearns, H.T., and K.N. Vaksvik. 1935. "Geology and ground-water resources of the Island of Oahu, Hawaii." Division of Hydrography Bulletin 1: 479.
Maly, K. 1998b. Wai‘anae Excerpts of He Mo‘olelo Ka‘ao no Hi‘iaka-i-ka-poli-o-Pele. Originally published in the Hawaiian language newspaper Ka Hoku O Hawaii, 1924-1927. Honolulu, HI.
