Haleakalā National Park and the Young Earth
The fiftieth state of those formerly United is Hawai'i, an archipelago in the Pacific ocean. The Big Island is the state's namesake, but it is less populous than the smaller islands like Oahu and Maui. We have another national park adventure, this time to Mele Kalikimaka —
"No, Cowboy Bob, that is a Christmas song!"
Oh, right. If you want to know why Merry Christmas is pronounced that way, see this video. Anyway. seeing my notes and the title, we are checking out Haleakalā National Park over on Maui.
Haleakalā Crater, FreeImages / Chris LaCroix |
You can start the day atop the cold peak of Mt. Haleakala and end it on a warm beach on Maui. The sprawling volcanic mountain rises 10,000 feet above sea level. Nēnē birds, cattle, horses, and people populate its slopes and summits. When did Haleakala form?Maui formed after Oahu and before the Big Island. Hawaiian schoolchildren memorize the standard age assignments. From west to east, Kauai formed supposedly about five million years ago, Oahu three million, Maui Nui one million, and the Big Island 0.4 million. The Big Island is still forming today. But three unique observations in and around this national park make Haleakala look only thousands of years old, not millions.
To read the rest, click on "Haleakala National Park: One of Many Young-Looking Volcanoes."