Table of Contents
Why are the Hawaiian Islands shrinking?
The islands don’t last forever. As the Pacific plate moves Hawaii’s volcanoes farther from the hotspot, they erupt less frequently, then no longer tap into the upwelling of molten rock and die. The island erodes and the crust beneath it cools, shrinks and sinks, and the island is again submerged.
Why do the Hawaiian Islands differ in age?
The reason for the Hawaiian Island chain’s correspondence in location and age is the Hawaiian hot spot, the place where magma rises from deep within the Earth and forms underwater volcanoes that grow to rise above sea level and create islands.
Are the Hawaiian islands growing or shrinking?
Which Hawaii Island is the oldest?
Kaua’i Island
Volcanism on Kaua’i Island ended about 3.8 million years ago, making it the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands.
How is the age of the Hawaiian Islands determined?
Each island or submerged seamount in the chain is successively older toward the northwest. Near Hawaii, the age progression from island to island can be used to calculate the motion of the Pacific Oceanic plate toward the northwest.
Which is the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain?
Near Hawaii, the age progression from island to island can be used to calculate the motion of the Pacific Oceanic plate toward the northwest. The youngest seamount of the Hawaiian chain is Loihi, which presently is erupting from its summit at a depth of 1000 meters.
How did the Hawaiian Islands come to be?
The Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanic activity. The Earth’s outer crust is made up of a series of tectonic plates that move over the surface of the planet. In areas where the plates come together, sometimes volcanoes will form. Volcanoes can also form in the middle of a plate, where magma rises upward until it erupts on the seafloor,…
How is the future of the Hawaiian Islands?
The future of the islands is also going to be influenced significantly by plate tectonics. Oahu is currently being slowly pushed northwest, and as it is the mountains are being pushed upwards somewhat.