The Explosive Truth:
A Volcano's Lifecycle
Audio Tour
The Retirement Community for Volcanoes
This section of the Science Adventure Center highlights Papahānaumokuākea, or the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This area is comprised of small islands, atolls, and seamounts, the oldest of which is over 30 million years old! These islands, atolls, and seamounts are the remains of shield volcanoes, made from lava that came from the very same hotspot the main Hawaiian Islands did. However, the movement of the Pacific Plate over the hotspot, along with weathering and erosion over time, has led to the islands slowly sinking back into the ocean where they began their journey. Once an island is fully submerged, its only remains are the coral reefs that surrounded the island, creating an atoll. As the underwater remains continue to sink, the coral reef cannot keep up and eventually the former island becomes a seamount. And thus ends the lifecycle of the volcanoes of Hawaiʻi.
They start from the hotspot under the ocean floor, rise to great heights as shield volcanoes, become a biodiverse ecosystem, and eventually weather and sink back to its ocean home. Now, that may seem like a downer, but don’t forget, the circle of life continues with the creation of new islands like Hawaiʻi Island and the already forming Lōʻihi! We hope you enjoyed learning about the life cycle of volcanoes today and hope you’ll join us again soon. Have a great rest of your day here at Bishop Museum!