Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park is a fragile protected environment. If you arrive by water you must stay on/in the water and if you arrive by land you may swim in the bay and snorkel. . This park is a look only area as every habitat can be damaged by human contact, even the sands here have ecological communities that are damaged by being stepped on. If on the land, stay on the established paths and if in the water, stay floating at all times. Due to exposure to rockfall as a result of the extreme instability of the cliffs and associated debris - do not swim or take a vessel into the area below the cliff that is marked with buoy.
Those arriving by land via the Ka'awaloa trail will be able to see the features through the clear shallow water, no need to get in the water to get to the exact coordinates.
Those arriving by water must either have a permit or rent a vessel from a permitted vessel owner who has an current permit with the Division of State Parks. You will be able to see all the features from within the water and the permit clearly indicates that vessels may not land on the shoreline. As such, there is no need to leave the water.
Limestone is composed of at least 50% calcium carbonate (CaCO3) forming the mineral calcite. While calcium carbonate can precipitate directly from water, it usually is formed through the accumulation of shells and skeletons of organisms. These organisms combine calcium, carbon, and oxygen from their surrounding environment to form calcium carbonate.
Some of these organisms include shelled invertebrates, coral, and some algae. These organisms are most abundant in the warm shallow ocean waters. The depth of the water is quite specific: deep enough to never be exposed by low tide, but shallow enough to receive enough sunlight. Today this environment occurs between 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south latitude. So when geologists find limestone, they infer that the rock originally formed in a warm shallow ocean within 30 degrees of the equator (with minor adjustments for glacial or inter-glacial periods).
When these organisms die, the soft tissues decompose and the remaining calcium carbonate shells or skeletons accumulate at the bottom of the ocean. Depending upon what happens next, the shells and skeletons can be broken up or remain in their original form. When that sediment is compacted and lithified, it becomes limestone.
There are a few names for specific types of limestone. These specific names are based on their assumed formation, appearance, and/or composition. A few of these names include:
- Chalk – a very fine textured limestone formed from microscopic foraminifers or marine algae that secrete calcium carbonate
- Coquina – a mass of broken up shells that are poorly held together
- Fossiliferous Limestone - A limestone that contains many easily recognizable fossils.
- Lithographic Limestone - A dense limestone that has thin easily separable beds made up of very fine and uniform grains (the name comes from early photography techniques)
The following are a common set of question for arrival by land or water. If you arrived by land via the Ka'awaloa trail, you may swim in the water or if you arrived via the water on a permitted vessel (and stayed in the water as landing your vessel is not allowed - unless you are with one of the 3 permitted tour guides that are authorized to do so). You only need to answer the questions related to your mode of travel.
Logging questions:
- The text "GC5DZ6B Kealakekua Bay Limestone Formation" on the first line.
- The number of people in your group.
- What is the main organism that is generating limestone in this bay?
- If this area becomes a rock, will it make one of the varieties named above? If so, which one(s)?
- Based on your observation of where the organisms end, do you agree with the assumption that geologists use for where limestone formation occurs in the water and on the globe? Explain.
The above information was compiled from the following sources:
- http://geology.com/rocks/limestone.shtmlr
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