Detailed mapping has shown that 95% of the surface of the basaltic shield volcano is from the Holocene, more than half is less than 3000 years old, western part of the Big Island of Hawaii. With an elevation of 2,521 m, Hualalai is the fourth highest mountain peak in Hawaii.
Hualalai is considered to be the westernmost of the five major volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands. Geological surveys have revealed that about 300,000 years ago, Hualalai volcano had risen above sea level, and about 100,000 years ago, Hualalai volcano entered its post-shield stage of development. According to records, in the past 1,000 years, Hualalai volcano has erupted at least three times.
Based on its volcanic activity, Hualalai has a recurrence interval of about 200 to 300 years. Volcanologists, therefore, consider Hualalai to be “potentially active” and expect the volcano to erupt again within the next 100 years. Hualalai is one of five active shield volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands that form the Big Island of Hawaii. This large shield volcano is located in the northwestern part of the Big Island of Hawaii, in the US state of Hawaii.
Hualalai is the fourth highest mountain peak in Hawaii, rising to a height of 2,521 m and has a prominence of 936 m. It is also the third most active volcano after Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii. The slopes of Hualalai Volcano offer GREAT views of the Kona coast and contain beautiful native cloud forests and many volcanic features such as craters, fissures and lava tubes. Hualalai's most important secondary feature is Pu'u Wa'awa'a, a 372 m high volcanic cone located north of the summit with a diameter of more than 1.6 km.
The Pohakuloa training area, located on a high plateau between the Hualalai, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes, provides a remote training ground for the United States Army and the U.S. UU. For residents of the Kona area, keep in mind that Hualalai has not erupted since 1801; Mauna Loa is considered active but has not erupted since 1984.Hundreds of years ago, the “Ahu A Umi Heiau” shrine was built on a dry plateau east of Hualalai. Scientists, therefore, consider Hualalai to be potentially active, as it is expected to erupt again in the next 100 years.
Volcanologists believe that Hualalai has a recurrence interval of around 200 to 300 years, depending on its volcanic activity. Hualalai volcano last erupted between 1800-1801, when it produced lava flows from 5 fissure vents that reached the sea and buried Hawaiian villages. Studies have revealed that the volcanic cone is made up of trachyte, which is only found in the Hualalai volcano and not in any other volcano that forms the island of Hawaii. However, in 1929, an intense swarm of earthquakes hit Hualalai for a period of one month, which has been interpreted as due to an intrusion of magma near the surface, with no surface eruption.
There are three fissure zones in Hualalai and more than a hundred cones of ash and spatter arranged along these crack zones. Hualalai, the third of Hawaii's active shield volcanoes, is located northwest and west of its giant neighbors Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. During this period, no microearthquake swarms or harmonic tremors (both indicative of magma migration) have been recorded, although Hualalai experiences several magnitude 4 earthquakes each year. .
