Hawaii, the island of many dreams…this is where people want to go to unwind, relax and enjoy the feeling of the sun, sand and beach on their bodies while they sip on a cocktail made most probably out of pineapple juice. There is also another, can we say intriguing, side to Hawaii, and that is the fact that it is full of volcanoes.
The Hawaii volcanoes are probably some of the most well known volcanoes in the world. Scientists and tourists alike can be found flocking the islands as it is one of the few known places with live volcanoes. After all, not many of us can say we went and visited an actual live volcano can we? Each Hawaiian island has at least one volcano on it, and many of these islands still have active Hawaii volcanoes.
It is believed that the Hawaiian Islands are at the end of a chain of volcanoes that started forming more than 70 million years ago, and it is no wonder then that these islands are also a place of great history. The lava that is found around the Hawaii volcanoes probably dates back millions of years, and the amount of information researchers can gain form just one of these islands about the way the world was back then is immense. Even as old volcanoes die, new ones are being formed in these islands.
The threat posed by Hawaii volcanoes has grown over the years. As the active volcanoes continue spouting lava, the height of land in the ‘Big Island’ of Hawaii has grown to 4,000 m and the threat these Hawaii volcanoes pose to humans are quite high as well. Over the years, land development has expanded towards the more hazardous parts of the island, meaning that more and more people are being put at risk due to eruption of the Hawaii volcanoes. Airborne lava fragments pose a significant risk to living things as well.
Then there is the worry of volcanic gases that escape during eruption of Hawaii volcanoes and the threat of ground cracks and settling. If flowing lava is suddenly sent into the sea, the effect it can have on the land mass and the water is quite scary as well. All these can pose great harm to those nearby active Hawaii volcanoes.
