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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. NPS Photo
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
NPS Photo |
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 as
a Natural site, under Criteria N (ii).
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. NPS Photo
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Links
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
World Heritage Convention
