Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

Several of the volcanoes that formed the Hawaiian islands are still active, providing a place for scientists to study the mysteries of volcanic eruptions and the earth's formation. It is thought that the Hawaiian islands were created when molten rock pushed through the earth's crust, forming volcanoes. Over millions of years, eruptions built up these volcanoes until their tops emerged from the sea as islands. Measured from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, these volcanoes are among the greatest mountain masses on the earth. Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two of the active volcanoes in the park on the Big Island of Hawaii, usually give ample warning before they spew forth hot lava (molten rock); their eruptions sometimes add new land area to the island. These volcanoes are evidence of the powerful forces of nature. (Inscribed in 1987)