Week 4 -Volcanoes- Diamond Head

Last summer, I was lucky enough to spend an amazing two weeks in Hawaii.  One week was in Oahu by Waikiki Beach just a short walk away from Diamond Head.     From my hotel,  you could see Diamond head out the window.   It was amazing to see a volcano so up close and personal.  At first glance it really just looks like a small mountain (compared to Colorado mountains).   This visit had me curious to learn more about the Volcano and especially Diamond Head. 

photo: www.tripadvisor.com

I thought it was interesting  Diamond Head name was changed after Western travelers back in the 1700 saw crystals in the volcano and thought they we diamonds.  Originally, the volcano was called Le'ahi or  'fire headland' for the fires that were lit on the volcano to help canoes find their way to land.   

Diamond Head is considered a Cinder Cone Volcano.   Cinder Cone volcanoes are formed "when ejected lava fragments begin to harden in flight to produce vesicular rock called scoria." 
(Lutgens & Tarbuck, 2015)  These fragments can vary from ash to large rock which are referred to as "bombs".    The fragments are usually peas size rocks fragments and are black to reddish-brown in color.   The crater in the middle of a Cinder cone volcano is created due to explosive nature of the specific volcano.  Diamond Head is considered a Tuff Cinder Cone due to the large crater it has.   Cinder Cone volcanoes have steep sides and slopes between 30 to 40 degrees.

Photo: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/oahu/diamond-head-state-monument/

Diamond Head was created like most cinder volcanoes with one short lived volcanic event.  Once the event stops the magma solidifies so the volcanoes becomes dormant and usually does not erupt again.    I thought it was interesting that just like Diamond head their are thousands of cinder volcanoes around the world.  With Cinder volcanoes, the lava does not normally flow from the creator; it usually finds a unconsolidated base of the cone where the lava flows due to the volcano being made of loose fragments of rock.   Diamond Head is a dormant volcano and will not erupt again.

The Hawaiian island of O'ahu was created by Shield volcanoes 2.5 million years ago.   It is thought that Diamond head was created about 300,000 years ago as a brief eruption.

It is interesting to read and learn more about place you have visited.  I hope to go back to the Hawaiian island soon to explore everything else they have to offer. 
 

References

Division of Land and Natural Resources. (2019). Retrieved from Diamond Head State Monumnet: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/oahu/diamond-head-state-monument/

Lutgens, F. K., & Tarbuck, E. J. (2015). Essential of Geology. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.