How Hawaii was formed, according to Hawaiian Mythology
Legend says that the Hawaiian chain of islands was formed when Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, journeyed to Hawaii from Tahiti, fleeing her sister Namakaokahaʻi and seeking a new home where she could create her volcanic landscapes. Pele first landed on the northernmost inhabited Hawaiian island, but was pursued relentlessly by her sister as she worked her way down the island chain in search of a home.
According to myth, this is how the Hawaiian Islands were formed. The Hawaiian islands in the north were formed by volcanic activity, and each of the islands to the south was formed in order after that.
How Hawaii was formed, according to Science
Geologists, however, have a different story to tell. Hawaii is one of the biggest volcanic hotspots in the world. Throughout hundreds of years, repeated tectonic and volcanic activity pushed up land where there was none – in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean! Today, Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii is the largest Volcano on Earth with more than 17,000 meters or 56,000 feet in height from its deep-sea base up to its snow-covered peak.
Other than atolls, which are formed by coral reefs and don’t reach very high above sea level, volcanic islands are usually tall, cone-shaped mountains that rise high above the ocean. The Big Island reaches so high, it has developed several climate zones, from its tropical beaches, across hot volcanic deserts, through lush jungle, up to its cold mountain peaks.
But how exactly are volcanic islands formed?
Volcanoes can usually be found along the edges of tectonic plates. The so-called Hawaiian hotspot, however, is located right in the middle of the Pacific Plate. A volcanic hotspot is a place where the Earth’s mantle melts into magma, which rises and causes volcanic eruptions. How deep they are and how they form is still unknown. A well-accepted theory proposes that the Pacific plate has tended to move in a northwestern direction during the last 70 million years. The hotspot, however, stayed stationary and created a line of volcanoes that spreads across 1600 miles, or more than 2500 kilometers today – the Hawaiian ridge.
The Hawaiian ridge
To the north west of the well-known Islands of Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii, there is a long chain of smaller and older islands. They range from the oldest and smallest in the northwestern part of the ridge up to the youngest, largest, and most active island of Hawaii on the southeastern end of the ridge. As lava still flows in Hawaii and volcanic eruptions are quite frequent, the island is still growing.
Off the south shore of the Big Island, there is an active submarine volcano called Lo’ihi, which will eventually form the next island in this chain. As lava pushes upward with every eruption, new land mass builds up until it breaks the surface of the ocean and becomes permanently elevated above sea level. An island is born – fertile and ready for life to settle on its surface.
First life on a new island
When a new volcano rises above sea level, its surface is black lava with neither fauna nor flora on it. How quickly it can be colonized by life depends on how near it is to other land masses. Landlocked volcanoes like Mt Saint Helens are covered by new forests in no time after each eruption. Volcanic islands, however, depend on birds and flotsam to deliver seeds of plants.
The Hawaiian Islands are more than 1500 miles or about 2400 kilometers from the nearest landmass. With such a huge distance to cross, it took the islands hundreds of years to be completely colonized by life. The isolated location in the middle of the ocean led to the development of a unique ecosystem with countless endemic species.
A world like no other
As impressive as Hawaii’s mountains may seem when seen from the shore, remember that each island is only a tiny visible fraction of a gigantic volcano. The flora and fauna on each island are the result of thousands of years of evolution in isolation. Let the unique beauty of Hawaii enchant you on your next vacation, as you discover the science behind – and the wonders above this volcanic hot spot in the sea.
