DIRECTIONS:
Turn left on Office Road just past Mile Marker #30 off of Highway 30. Parking is located on the right
Makalua-puna Point was created from one of the last lava flows on Maui. However, the lava here is a little different from the rest of the lava on Maui - it is much lighter, denser, and fine-grained.
Dragon's teeth (in Maui) is a unique lava flow that was influenced by high waves as the ancient lava flow hit the ocean. The wave energy at the time of the flowing lava was strong enough to curl up the edges of the lava before it cooled leaving these unique giant tooth-like structures.
Hawaii is geologically a unique place on Earth because it is caused by a 'hot spot.' Most islands are found at tectonic plate boundaries either from spreading centers (like Iceland) or from subduction zones (like the Aleutian Islands). There are few 'hot spots' on Earth and the one under Hawaii is right in the middle of one of the largest crustal plates on Earth - the Pacific Plate. A geologic 'hot spot' is an area in the middle of a crustal plate where volcanism occurs. It is easy to geologically explain the volcanism at plate spreading centers and subduction zones but not as easy to explain a 'hot spot.' The molten magma breaks through and produces undersea volcanoes. Some of these volcanoes build up to the surface of the ocean and become islands. Over millions of years the plate may move across the 'hot spot' and the original volcano become extinct but a new volcano will begin to form in the area of the 'hot spot.'
The northwest moving Pacific Plate has moved across the 'hot spot' that created the Hawaiian Islands for millions of years. This movement has left the northwest trending island chain (of over 20 islands and atolls) we call Hawaii. As islands move northwest, away from the 'hot spot,' they begin to erode and become volcanically inactive. Over time the island may erode so much it is no longer an island but an underwater seamount. Kaui is the oldest big island now, having formed some 5 million years ago . its volcano considered to be extinct and fully in the process of erosion. Oahu is next, its volcanism is considered to be inactive. Then Maui with its Haleakala crater that could still come to life one more time. And the youngest island is the 'Big Island' of Hawaii itself, with surface lavas all less than one million years. It still has active volcanism. On the sea floor 20 miles to the southeast of Hawaii is an active volcanic area with periodic eruptions. This area is called Loihi and will be the site of the next Hawaiian Island if geologic processes continue as they have for millions of years but it may be over 10,000 years before this happens.
Hawaii has active volcanism today. The big island of Hawaii is the largest of the current Hawaiian Islands and is made of five volcanoes (Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa and Kilauea). Kohala last erupted 60,000 years ago and Mauna Kea last erupted 3,500 years ago. These two volcanoes are considered dormant. Hualalai's last eruption was in 1801. Only two of Hawaii's volcanoes are active today - Mauna Loa and Kiluaea. Mauna Loa erupted in 1984 and Kilauea is considered to be one of the most active volcanoes on Earth today. It has erupted 30 times in the last 40 years. Hawaii is one of the few places on Earth where you can safely watch the volcanic processes that shape our Earth.
***All answers to this cache can be found on the internet, there is no info sign.***
To log this earthcache you need:
1.****Optional**** to have a photo of you taken with a tooth in the picture as well as your GPSr.
2. the number of people in your group.
3. what is pahoehoe, and what are fissures?
4.How many volcanoes are are active today?
5.How hot is flowing lava?