Formation Of Hawaiian Islands From The Ocean Floor

Kilauea mauna loa mauna kea hualalai and kohala.

Formation of hawaiian islands from the ocean floor.

These are all part of a bigger chain called the hawaiian emperor chain which is essentially a trail of volcanoes spread across the ocean floor. The oldest island of hawaii is kauai which formed 5 1 million years ago then niihau which formed 4 9 million years ago then oahu hawaii s third largest island formed 3 and a half million years ago. Something is forming beneath the pacific ocean about 20 miles from the island of hawaii scientists said. Each island is made up of at least one primary volcano although many islands are composites of more than one.

This trend is also attributed to the nature of the islands formation on the sea floor. The highest peak on the island of hawai i reaches 4 2 km above sea level. The big island for instance is constructed of 5 major volcanoes. Formation of the islands active hawaiian volcanoes general info the hawaiian islands are volcanic in origin.

Born of a volcanic hotspot rising from the sea floor of the pacific ocean the hawaiian archipelago formed nearly 75 million years ago with the eldest islands. The archipelago is made up of 132 islands atolls reefs shallow banks shoals and seamounts stretching over 1 500 miles from the island of hawaii in the southeast to kure atoll in the northwest. The sea floor onto which the hawaiian islands sit on is known as the pacific plate. The island of hawaii now atop the hot spot formed 4 5 million years after kauai.

The hawaiian islands form an archipelago that extends over a vast area of the north pacific ocean. Each shield volcano grows slowly with repeated eruptions until it reaches the surface of the water to form an island fig. Oahu was born four million years ago as two giant volcanoes. The length of the hawaiian ridge segment alone between the island of hawai i and midway island to the northwest is about 1 600 miles roughly the distance from washington d c to denver colorado.

The hawaiian islands are not equal according to age with the farthest island from the hot spot being the oldest. This range stretches across the pacific ocean floor from the hawaiian islands to the aleutian trench. The hawaiian islands are one of the most geographically isolated places on earth over 2 400 miles and nearly 4 000 km to the closest landmass which is california usa. The islands of the hawaiian chain are the tops of great mountains that rise as much as 29 000 feet from the sea floor.