Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

and known to Hawaiians as Lēahi (). The Hawaiian name is most likely derived from ''lae'' (browridge, promontory) plus ''ahi'' (tuna) because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max le ...

's dorsal fin. Its English name was given by British sailors in the 19th century, who named it for the

calcite Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, based on scra ...

crystals on the adjacent beach.

Geology

Diamond Head is part of the system of cones, vents, and their associated eruption flows that are collectively known to geologists as the Honolulu Volcanic Series, eruptions from the Koolau Volcano that took place long after the volcano formed and had gone dormant. These eruptive events created many of Oahu's well-known landmarks, including Punchbowl Crater,

Hanauma Bay Hanauma (; ) is a marine embayment formed within a tuff ring and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oahu in the Hawaii Kai neighborhood of East Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands. Hanauma is one of the most popular tourist desti ...

, Koko Head, and Mānana Island in addition to Diamond Head. Diamond Head, like the rest of the Honolulu Volcanic Series, is much younger than the main mass of the Koolau Mountain Range. While the Koolau Range is about 2.6 million years old, Diamond Head is estimated to be about 400,000 to 500,000 years old.

History

Known as ''Lēʻahi'' in Hawaiian, the mountain in 1825 was given the name ''Diamond Hill'' by British sailors who discovered sparkling volcanic calcite crystals in the sand and mistook them for diamonds. This is reflected in another local name, ''Kaimana Hila''. The name later became ''Diamond Head'', with ''head'' being shortened from ''headland''. The interior and adjacent exterior areas were the home to Fort Ruger, the first United States military reservation on

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

.Alt URL
/ref> Only Battery 407, a National Guard emergency operations center, and Birkhimer Tunnel, the Hawaii State Civil Defense Headquarters ( HI-EMA), remain in use in the crater. An FAA air traffic control center was in operation from 1963 to 2002.

Tourism

Diamond Head is a defining feature of the view known to residents and tourists of Waikīkī, and also a U.S. National Natural Monument. The volcanic tuff cone is a State Monument. While part of it is closed to the public and serves as a platform for antennas used by the U.S. government, the crater's proximity to Honolulu's resort hotels and beaches makes the rest of it a popular destination.

National Natural Landmark

In 1968, Diamond Head was declared a National Natural Landmark. The crater, also called Diamond Head Lookout, was used as a strategic military lookout in the early 1900s. Spanning over 475 acres (190 ha) (including the crater's interior and outer slopes), it served as an effective defensive lookout because it provides panoramic views of Waikīkī and the south shore of Oahu. The

Diamond Head Lighthouse Diamond Head Lighthouse is a United States Coast Guard facility located on Diamond Head in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu in the State of Hawaii. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Diamond Head ...

, a navigational lighthouse built in 1917 is directly adjacent to the crater's slopes. In addition, a few pillboxes are located on Diamond Head's summit.

In popular culture

Diamond Head appears on an 80-cent

air mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be th ...

stamp issued in 1952 to pay for shipping

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

to the mainland of the U.S. A 1975 televised

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

, '' The Diamond Head Game'', was set at Diamond Head. The Crater was the location of several concerts in the 1960s and 1970s. First held on New Year's Day 1969, and often known as ''Hawaiian

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

'', Diamond Head Crater Festivals, sometimes called Sunshine Festivals, were all-day music celebrations held in the 1960s and '70s, attracting over 75,000 attendees for performances of the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

, Santana,

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, ...

, Journey, War, and

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the ...

, alongside Hawaiian talent like Cecilio & Kapono and the Mackey Feary Band. These one day festivals became two day events in 1976 and 1977, but were cancelled by the

Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is a part of the Hawaii state government dedicated to managing, administering, and exercising control over public lands, water resources and streams, ocean waters, coastal areas, minerals ...

because of community noise and environmental impact concerns. Many items from the bands were brought into and out of the Crater by

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribut ...

. File:Diamond head bay view.jpg, A view from the ocean of Diamond Head Image:Diamond Head.jpg, Diamond Head cone seen from the coast off Waikīkī Image:Diamondhead.png, View from Rocky Hill, which resides over Punahou School Image:Diamond_Head_Kapiolani_Park.jpg, Diamond Head peak from Kapiolani Park File:Waikiki shore - diamond head - 1800s.jpg, Diamond Head seen from Waikīkī in the 1800s Image:Waikiki Diamond Head CC.jpg,

Waikiki Beach Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

facing Diamond Head, 1958 File:Diamond Head Hawaii - panoramio.jpg, Aerial view of the cone, and the Kahala and Kaimuki neighborhoods File:Diamond Head East View ^ Eric Tessmer Hawaii - panoramio.jpg, Aerial view of the Diamond Head File:USCGC William Hart transits Diamond Head, 2019-08-17 - 190817-G-US251-218.jpg, A view from the south, including Diamond Head Lighthouse

References

External links

Official website
Hawaii State Parks - Diamond Head State Monument *
Satellite image of Diamond Head (Google Maps)
{{authority control Landforms of Oahu

Manoa Mānoa (, ) is a valley and a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from Ala Moana and Waikiki at . Neigh ...

Tuff cones Volcanoes of Oahu National Natural Landmarks in Hawaii Pleistocene volcanoes Pleistocene Oceania Cenozoic Hawaii Extinct volcanoes Hotspot volcanoes Monogenetic volcanoes Geography of Honolulu County, Hawaii Tourist attractions in Honolulu Honolulu