The Hawaiian Islands are an incredible place to visit and explore. I have visited there twice now, and the sights are amazing. This assignment came up right after I got back from my last trip, and one thing that had my interest while I was there was the islands’ formations. Flying in the first time, I enjoyed being able to see the islands come into view after being over water for 6 hours. Doing snorkeling adventures, I visited Molokini Crater. While going to Oahu to visit Pearl Harbor I could look down at a few more islands as we flew. Just looking out my resort I could see Lanai and Molokai. During my visits, we would talk with the locals at the resort, they enjoy sharing the history they know. I was also able to travel up Haleakala, or “House of the Sun” (Durso), the volcano on east Maui. I was intrigued by all these islands. Therefore, my question is how were the Hawaiian Islands formed and where did all the unique plants life come from. …show more content…
One known hot spot is under the Pacific Plate, and as this plate moved along the ocean floor over this spot, the hot spot would find a weak area and an eruption would happen, causing a volcano to push up and form. Originally, they could not explain the turn in the direction of the islands, but it was discovered that not all hot spots were stationary. At one time, this one under the Pacific Plate, was moving and once it became stationary, then the curve of the islands changed.
The plant life on the islands is another amazing aspect of Hawaii. Going from one side of an island to another you experience totally different climates. One area might have huge amount of rain, like in Kauai, where there is between 400 to 600 inches of rain annually on Mount Wai’ale’ale, and then the other side, at the coast might only get 20 to 30 inches. On Maui, you could be enjoying the beach at Lahaina and then drive up to Haleakala and see