Wailau
Encyclopedia
Wailau, also known as East Molokai Volcano, is an extinct shield volcano
comprising the eastern two-thirds of the island of Molokai
in the U.S. state
of Hawaii
.
, Lanai
and Haleakala
shield volcanoes. Its shield formation began two million years ago and ended 1.5 million years ago whereas its postshield eruptions occurred 1.5 to 1.3 million years ago. The pahoehoe shield volcano of the Kalaupapa Peninsula postdates the main shield volcano of Wailau and is considered to represent the last volcanic phase of Wailau.
Wailau was one of the seven principal volcanoes along with Mauna Loa, Lānai
, West Maui, East Maui, Penguin Bank
and Kahoolawe
that formerly constituted the island of Maui Nui
.
The highest point is the peak called Kamakou on the southern rim at 21°6′23"N 156°52′5"W. The Pēpēōpae bog
is just below the rim.
In the Hawaiian language
wai lau literally means "many waters".. Wailau is also the name of a valley on the North Shore of this volcano.
Shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...
comprising the eastern two-thirds of the island of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Description
With a width of 70 km (43.5 mi) and a length of 150 km (93.2 mi), it is overlapped by the Mauna LoaMauna Loa (Molokai)
Mauna Loa, also known as West Molokai Volcano, is the name given to an extinct shield volcano comprising the western half of Molokai in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was constructed in two volcanic phases...
, Lanai
Lanai
Lānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....
and Haleakala
Haleakala
Haleakalā , or the East Maui Volcano, is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The western 25% of the island is formed by the West Maui Mountains.- History :...
shield volcanoes. Its shield formation began two million years ago and ended 1.5 million years ago whereas its postshield eruptions occurred 1.5 to 1.3 million years ago. The pahoehoe shield volcano of the Kalaupapa Peninsula postdates the main shield volcano of Wailau and is considered to represent the last volcanic phase of Wailau.
Wailau was one of the seven principal volcanoes along with Mauna Loa, Lānai
Lanai
Lānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....
, West Maui, East Maui, Penguin Bank
Penguin Bank
Penguin Bank is the name given to a now-submerged shield volcano of the Hawaiian Islands. Its coral-capped remains lay west of the island of Molokai under relatively shallow water...
and Kahoolawe
Kahoolawe
Kahoolawe is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. Kahoolawe is located about seven miles southwest of Maui and also southeast of Lanai, and it is long by wide, with a total land area of . The highest point on Kahoolawe is the crater of Lua Makika at the...
that formerly constituted the island of Maui Nui
Maui Nui
Maui Nui or Greater Maui, is a modern geologists' name given to a prehistoric Hawaiian Island built from seven shield volcanoes. Nui means "great/large" in the Hawaiian language....
.
The highest point is the peak called Kamakou on the southern rim at 21°6′23"N 156°52′5"W. The Pēpēōpae bog
Pepeopae
Pēpēōpae is a bog on the island of Molokai in Hawaii.-Description:Pēpēōpae is located near the summit of Kamakou peak in eastern Molokai at an elevation of about at . Poorly draining acidic soil leaches of nutrients, rainfall that exceeds , cooler temperatures and high winds have resulted in a bog...
is just below the rim.
In the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
wai lau literally means "many waters".. Wailau is also the name of a valley on the North Shore of this volcano.