Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea with its seasonal snowcap, viewed from Kohala Mountain
Elevation	13,796 feet (4,205 m) (from base to summit: 33,000 ft (10,000 m))
Location	Hawaii, USA
Range	Hawaiian Islands
Prominence	13,796 ft (4,205 m) Ranked 15th
Coordinates	19°49′15.7″N, 155°28′06.0″W
Topo map	USGS Mauna Kea
Type	Shield volcano
Volcanic arc/belt	Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain
Age of rock	0.4 Ma
Last eruption	~2460 BC ± 100 years

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanoes which together form the island of Hawai'i. Pu'u Wekiu, one of numerous cinder cones on the summit plateau, is the highest point in the state of Hawaii at 13,796 feet (4,205 m). Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world when measured from base to summit, since its base is located on the seafloor about 19,000 feet (5,800 m) beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean, bringing its total height to well over 33,000 ft (10,000 m). In the Hawaiian language, mauna kea means "white mountain", a reference to its summit being regularly snow-capped during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Image File history File linksMetadata Mauna_Kea10. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... For exotic financial options, see Mountain range (options). ... 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 Hawaii. ... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks. ... This is a list of mountains ordered by their topographic prominence. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... // Topographic maps are a variety of maps characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. ... InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ... Mountains can be characterized in several ways. ... Shield volcano A shield volcano is a large volcano with shallow-sloping side. ... Mariana Islands, an oceanic island arc Cascade Volcanic Arc, a continental volcanic arc A volcanic arc is a chain of volcanic islands or mountains formed by plate tectonics as an oceanic tectonic plate subducts under another tectonic plate and produces magma. ... A volcanic belt is a district of volcanoes, located in a certain area. ... The Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain is composed of the Hawaiian Ridge and the Emperor Seamounts, a vast underwater mountain region beneath the northern Pacific Ocean that stretches over 3,600 miles from the Aleutian Trench in the far northwest Pacific to Lo‘ihi seamount southeast of the Island of... // For other uses, see time scale. ... Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years. ... Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska photographed from the International Space Station For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Towering over the city of Naples, Vesuvius is dormant but certainly not extinct A dormant volcano is a volcano which is not currently erupting, but is believed to still be capable of erupting in the future. ... 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 Hawaii. ... Image of Hawai‘i (island) taken by NASA. The Island of Hawai‘i is one of the eight main islands that make up the state of Hawai‘i. ... Puu Oo, a cinder-and-spatter cone on Kilauea, Hawaii Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcano formations. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... The Hawaiian language is an Austronesian language that takes its name from HawaiÊ»i, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. ...

Geology

Mauna Kea is in the post-shield stage of volcanic evolution, having made the transition from the shield stage before about 200,000 to 250,000 years ago. At that time, its appearance was probably quite similar to that of its neighbor Mauna Loa today, a smooth shield volcano with a large summit caldera. Following the transition, eruptions became more explosive in character, resulting in the formation of numerous overlapping cinder cones which eventually filled and completely obscured the caldera. These cinder cones now form the peaks at the summit of Mauna Kea, with several of them exceeding 13,500 ft (4,100 m) in elevation. After several hundred thousand years of building itself up by volcanic activity, the mountain's height is slowly decreasing now as its massive weight depresses the Pacific seafloor beneath it. 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. ... Mauna Loa map Mauna Loa is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii. ... Satellite image of Santorini. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

The summit of Mauna Kea was entirely covered by a massive ice cap during the Pleistocene ice ages. The summit shows evidence of four periods of glaciation over the last 200,000 years, the last ending about 11,000 years ago, when the most recent ice age finished. The dense rock at the noted adz quarry near the summit is believed to have been formed when lava erupted under a glacier. An ice cap is a dome-shaped ice mass that covers less than 50,000 km² of land area (usually covering a highland area). ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) on the geologic timescale is the period from 1,808,000 to 11,550 years BP. The Pleistocene epoch had been intended to cover the worlds recent period of repeated glaciations. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Look up lava, Aa, pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the geological formation. ...

Climatic zones and biomes

The summit plateau of Mauna Kea is entirely above timberline, with a landscape of mostly bare rock with patches of alpine tundra. Snowfall often occurs at elevations above 11,000 feet (3,400 m) during the period from November through March. During particularly cold and wet winters (usually linked to La Niña), a snowpack several feet (1 m) deep may remain in the summit region above 13,000 ft (4,000 m) for weeks or months, permitting skiing and other snowplay activities on the slopes of the cinder cones. In this view of an alpine tree-line, the distant line looks particularly sharp. ... For other uses, see Tundra (disambiguation). ... La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon similar to El Niño. ...

Between 5,200 and 8,000 feet (1,600 and 2,400 m) is a band of ranch land, which was formerly koa-mamane forest but has been almost entirely converted to pasture. This area has suffered from heavy infestations of gorse, an invasive species in Hawaii. Most of the north and west slopes are also pasture. The palila, an endangered finch-like honeycreeper, feeds almost exclusively on mamane seeds and lives in mamane-naio forest on the west slope. Large numbers of feral sheep inhabit the upper elevations, and have had a severe impact on the native vegetation. KOA may mean: Kick Off Association - International association devoted to Dino Dinis games (Kick Off and Player Manager) and organizing annual gathering and international competitions with Kick Off 2 and real Amiga. ... Binomial name Sophora chrysophylla (Salisb. ... Species Ulex argenteus Ulex boivinii Ulex borgiae Ulex cantabricus Ulex densus Ulex europaeus - Common Gorse Ulex gallii - Dwarf Furze or Furse Ulex genistoides Ulex micranthus Ulex minor - Dwarf Gorse Ulex parviflorus Ref: ILDIS Version 6. ... Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ... Binomial name Loxioides bailleui (Oustalet, 1877) The Palila is an endangered finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreeper. ... For other meanings, see Finch (disambiguation). ... Genera Chlorophanes Cyanerpes The Honeycreepers are small birds in the tanager family. ... Binomial name Sophora chrysophylla (Salisb. ... Species See text. ...

The windward (eastern) slopes are covered in rain forest between about 1,500 and 5,200 feet (450-1,600 m) elevation. Below this are extensive agricultural lands that formerly included vast areas of sugar cane. With the collapse of the sugar industry in the 1990s, much of this land is idle or used for eucalyptus farming for wood pulp, cattle grazing, or small-scale farming. A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ... Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... This article is about the plant genus. ...

Astronomy

The summit of Mauna Kea is considered to be one of the best astronomical sites in the world. For this reason it is home to many of the world's leading astronomical observatories. The summit is above approximately 40% of Earth's atmosphere and 90% of the water vapor, allowing for exceptionally clear images of the night sky. Additionally, the peak is well above the inversion layer, allowing up to 300 clear nights per year. Also, at 20°N latitude, much of both the northern and southern skies are visible. The fact that it is a shield volcano has meant that road transportation to the summit is relatively easy. The low population density of the Island of Hawaii means that there is little light pollution from man-made sources. All of these factors have made Mauna Kea an ideal location for state-of-the-art astronomy. This article is about scientific observatories. ... A temperature inversion is a meteorological phenomenon where air temperature increases with height. ... Shield volcano A shield volcano is a large volcano with shallow-sloping side. ...

Construction of telescopes on Mauna Kea has been a source of controversy in recent years. Due to the qualities listed above, it is a highly favored location and the summit area is now home to over a dozen telescopes. Native Hawaiian groups have protested that construction of additional telescopes would cause considerable environmental damage and further desecrate a site that they consider sacred. They consider that the summit of Mauna Kea is the home of the snow goddess, Poliahu. In addition, the summit area is home to a unique insect, the wēkiu bug, which feeds on insects blown to the summit by updrafts. Studies on the impact of telescopes on wēkiu bug populations have been inconclusive, with accusations of over-collecting and bias among the different parties. Some mercury spills and sewage dumps have also been reported at the existing telescopes; these are of particular concern because of the unique and otherwise-pristine underground water systems in the area. In April of 1990, Daniel K. Akaka became the first native Hawaiian and Chinese American to serve in the United States Congress as a Senator from the State of Hawaii. ... In Polynesian mythology (specifically: Hawaii), Poliahu is a goddess of snow who resides on Mauna Kea, the worlds tallest mountain. ... Binomial name The wÄ“kiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) is an unusual seed bug, endemic to Hawaii. ... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 200. ... Sewage is the mainly liquid waste containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water, faeces, urine, laundry waste and other material which goes down drains and toilets from households and industry. ...

See also

• Mountain peaks of the United States
• Mauna Loa
• Mauna Kea Observatory
• Keck telescopes
• Gemini Observatory
• Subaru (telescope)
• United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
• Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
• Submillimeter Array
• Volcanic Seven Summits
• Kamakahukilani

Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska is the highest mountain peak of the United States of America. ... Mauna Loa map Mauna Loa is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii. ... The Observatories at Mauna Kea are an independent collection of the worlds premier astronomical research facilities, located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. The facilities are located in a 500-acre special land use zone known as the Astronomy Precinct, which... The W. M. Keck Observatory is home to the two largest optical/near-infrared telescopes at the 4,145 meter (13,600 ft) summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. ... The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two 8-metre telescopes at different sites. ... The Subaru at sunset Subaru Telescope (In Japanese: すばる望遠鏡) is the 8. ... UKIRT, the United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope, is a 3. ... CFHT image of Eugenia and Petit-Prince CFHT in the morning. ... The submillimeter array under construction in 2002 The Submillimeter Array consists of 8 6 m diameter radio telescopes arranged as an interferometer for submillimeter wavelength observations. ... The Volcanic Seven Summits on an Elevation World Map. ... Kamakahukilani Von Oelhoffen (1935-1999) was a Kanaka Maoli educator, poet, and activist known for her repeated assertion of the rights of indigenous cultural practice. ...

References

Mauna Kea view from Kohala

• Macdonald, Gordon A., Agatin T. Abbott, and Frank L. Peterson. 1983. Volcanoes in the Sea, 2nd edition. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 517 p.
• Woodcock AH, Furumoto AS, Woollard GP (1970). "Fossil ice in hawaii?". Nature 226 (5248): 873. PMID 16057558. 

Image File history File links Maunakea. ... Image File history File links Maunakea. ... Nature is a prominent scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. ...

External links

• Cultural Information Site on Mauna Kea
• Clash between Telescope Develpment and Kanaka Maoli Culture
• USGS page about Mauna Kea
• Global Volcanism Program
• Photos of Mauna Kea from "A Gentle Rain of Starlight: The Story of Astronomy on Mauna Kea" by Michael J. West. ISBN 0-931548-99-3.
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 19.8208° -155.4682°
  • WikiSatellite view at - WikiMapia
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA