Maui exemplifies
many of the geographic features we've talked about so far, beginning
with the actual formation of the island. Maui, like all the Hawaiian
islands, was formed as a result of a volcano. Haleakala (dormant
since 1790) (1) was produced by the Hawaiian hotspot. Because Hawaii
is not located on the boundary between tectonic plates, the hotspot
is particularly unique. As magma located close to the sea floor rises
through a conduit, it cools and layers, resulting in an island. While
the hot spot remains stationary, the plate above it moves, resulting
in a chain of islands that were carried off the hotspot by top-layer
drift. (2)
(4)
Currently the hot
spot is facilitating the activity of Kilauea
on/under the Big Island, some 113 miles away
from Maui's current location.
As the second
oldest of the islands it is smaller than the Big Island due to longer
drift and therefore longer exposure to erosion and weathering. In
addition to mere drift erosion, volcanic activity around the Pacific
rim results often in earthquakes and tsunamis, such as the Tsunami
that hit South East Asia after Christmas of 2004. Presently Maui is
not as susceptible to tsunamis as it once was due to protection from
outlying minor islands, however historically Maui had no defense,
particularly at the island's creation 1.1 million years ago. (3)
As an extrusive
formation Haleakala is a typical shield volcano composing the
majority of the island. The particularly fluid magma that resulted
from its eruptions traveled farther before cooling, creating a mound
that is particularly wide but not necessarily steep (12,000ft elv,
30,183 acres). Basalt, the foundation of the island, is the most
common rock type outside the main continents and is rich in oxidized
minerals. The mineral grain in basalt is so fine that it cannot be
seen by the naked eye, however it is highly porous due to escaping
gas as it reaches the surface and cools.
