The Hawaiian Islands are one of the most beautiful and popular island chains in the world. Millions of tourists visit the islands every year to experience the great treasures that they have to offer. People see Hawaii as an ideal vacation spot for many reasons including; a year round tropical climate, the lush vegetation, and the numerous black sand beaches. However, the Hawaiian Islands are not only pretty to look at. The Islands possess unique geological aspects that make it possible for the islands to have these desirable characteristics. The Hawaiian Islands were not pieces of a continent that drifted out to sea, but were actually created by volcanoes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The process in which this chain of island is formed is quite intriguing and complex. The different steps include the presence of a hot spot, the emergence of an oceanic volcano, the plate tectonics of the region, the submergence of the older volcanoes, and the dynamics of the active Hawaiian volcanoes.

Hawaii consists of many volcanoes that were produced by a feature known as the Hawaiian hot spot. A hot spot, or plume, is a large column of magma, molten lava, which rises from deep within the Eart

The dynamics of the active volcanoes within the Hawaiian Island chain are still at the beginning of the island chain cycle. There are currently three active volcanoes in Hawaii. Two of them are on the island of Hawaii, Mauna Loa and Kilauea. The other one is a submarine volcano, called Loihi, which has not yet, broke the surface of the ocean. All three of the volcanoes share the Hawaiian hot spot. Mauna Loa is the largest volcano in the world with volume of 9,600 cubic miles and rising 13,677 feet into the air above sea level. Mauna Loa seems huge in comparison to the volume of Mount Shasta at 40 cubic miles, the largest volcano on the continental United States. This volcano itself makes up over 50% of the entire state of Hawaii (Mauna Loa 2). Because of the great mass of Mauna Loa the sea floor has a depression five miles beneath the enormous volcano (Mauna Loa 1). Mauna Loa is considered one of the most active volcanoes on the planet having erupted 33 times in one hundred fifty-seven years. However, Kilauea tops that having 34 eruptions in only forty-eight years, not including its continuous lava-lake activity (Urnezis 1). The name Kilauea means, "spewing" in Hawaiian, referring to the constant lava activity. Its most recent eruption has been continuous since January 3rd of 1983 (Kilauea 2). This volcano consists of about 14% of Hawaii. Loihi, on the other hand, is not an island, but an underwater seamount. It represents the first stage of the formation of a new Hawaiian island. The seamount rises over 10,100 feet above the sea floor and is only 3,100 feet within the surface of the water (Loihi 2). Loihi is an active volcano that frequently generates earthquakes. Scientists from the University of Hawaii have conducted many dives to Loihi in order to assemble data gathering interments on the summit of the volcano (Loihi 2). The data collected from these interments will give scientists an opportunity to study the geological phenomenon in greater detail. The active Hawaiian volcanoes are found to be the youngest within the chain, however, they can show a great deal about what the more western volcanoes looked like while under the Hawaiian hot spot.

The plate tectonics of the Hawaiian Island region play a major role in the formation of this unique island chain. As the hot spot forms and fuels a volcano, the pacific plate is continuously moving westward. Since hot spots are stationary the moving plate carries the volcano with it, cutting off the constant supply

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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)