View of Koʻolau Range from offshore Lanikai (windward coast)

Koʻolau Range is a name given to the fragmented remnant of the eastern or windward shield volcano of the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. It is not a mountain range in the normal sense, because it was formed as a single mountain called Koʻolau Volcano (koʻolau means "windward" in Hawaiian, cognate of the toponym Tokelau). What remains of Koʻolau is the western half of the original volcano that was destroyed in prehistoric times when the entire eastern half—including much of the summit caldera—slid cataclysmically into the Pacific Ocean. Remains of this ancient volcano lie as massive fragments strewn nearly 100 miles over the ocean floor to the northeast of Oʻahu. The modern Koʻolau mountain forms Oʻahu's windward coast and rises behind the leeward coast city of Honolulu — on its leeward slopes and valleys are located most of Honolulu's residential neighborhoods. NOAA photo of Koolau Range Source URL: http://www. ... NOAA photo of Koolau Range Source URL: http://www. ... View across Kailua Beach to the offshore islet known as Moku nui, one of Nā Mokulua off Lanikai Kailua is a census-designated place located in the City & County of Honolulu, in the Koolaupoko District of Oahu on the windward coast at Kailua Bay. ... Mauna Kea, a shield volcano, on the Island of Hawai‘i with a light dusting of snow. ... Map of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands that stretches 2,400 km in a northwesterly direction from the southern tip of the Island of Hawai‘i. ... Oahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), the Gathering Place, is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous island in the State of Hawaii. ... The most general definition of a mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands. ... Hawaiian is the ancestral language of the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands, the Hawaiians, a Polynesian people. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Crater Lake, Oregon A caldera is a volcanic feature formed by the collapse of a volcano into itself. ... Nickname: Motto: Official website: Location Location of Honolulu within the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii. ...

The volcano is thought to have first erupted on the ocean floor more than 2.5 million years ago. It eventually reached sea level and continued to grow in elevation until about 1.7 million years ago, when the volcano became dormant. The volcano remained dormant for hundreds of thousands of years, during which time erosion ate away at the initially smooth slopes of the shield-shaped mountain; and the entire mass subsided considerably. The highest elevation perhaps exceeded 3000 m (10,000 ft), although today it is only 960 m (3149 ft; Puʻu Konahuanui). For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and other particles) by the agents of wind, water, ice, movement in response to gravity, or living organisms (in the case of bioerosion). ... Mauna Kea, a shield volcano, on the Island of Hawai‘i with a light dusting of snow. ...

After hundreds of thousands of years of dormancy, Koʻolau volcano began to erupt again. Some thirty eruptions over the past 500,000 years or so have created many of the landmarks around eastern Oʻahu, such as Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, Punchbowl Crater, Tantalus, and Āliapaʻakai. Geologists do not always agree on the dates of these more recent eruptions, some dating them to around 32,000 years ago, others to as recently as 10,000 years ago. Geologists believe that there is at least a remote possibility that Koʻolau volcano will erupt again. Diamond Head is the name of a tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and known to Hawaiians as LÄ“ahi (photograph at right). ... Hanauma Bay on O‘ahu Hanauma Bay (pronounced ha-now-mah) is a marine bay formed within a volcanic cone or crater and located along the southeast coast of the Island of O‘ahu (east of Honolulu) in the Hawaiian Islands. ... Sandy Beach from the Halona Blowhole lookout. ... Punchbowl Crater is an extinct volcano located in Honolulu, Hawaii. ... Tantalus is an extinct cinder cone in the southern Ko‘olau Range on the Hawaiian Island of O‘ahu. ... Salt Lake still contains remnants of a lake that formed in a volcanic crater. ...

See also

• Evolution of Hawaiian volcanoes

Most of the Hawaiian volcanoes (that is, the volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian Islands) go through several defined stages of evolution during their lifespans. ...

External links

• Photos of Koʻolau Mountains - Terra Galleria