Kaʻena Ridge, also referred to as the Kaʻena Volcano, is a submerged remnant of an ancient

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

that is to the north of and once comprised the northern section of the

Hawaiian Island The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

Oʻahu 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’ ...

Geology

Kaʻena Ridge was the oldest of the three volcanoes to form Oʻahu and it was also the shortest when it grew out of sea level. It was about 3,000 ft. Activity from Kaʻena began roughly 5 million years ago. Despite being Oʻahu's oldest volcano, it broke sea level 400,000 years after the Waiʻanae did. This is due to Kaʻena being built on a lower sea depth, whereas other Oʻahu volcanoes were built on pre-existing ridges. Around 3 million years ago, Kaʻena, Waiʻanae and Koʻolau simultaneously emerged. Kaʻena would later submerge below sea level at an unknown date. In its current state, the crest of the Kaʻena Ridge extends 35–55 km wide and is located 75–100 km northwest of

Kaʻena Point Kaena or Kaena Point is the westernmost tip of land on the island of Oahu. In Hawaiian, ''kaena'' means 'the heat'. The area was named after a brother or cousin of Pele. The point is designated as a Natural Area Reserve. Some ancient Hawaii ...

, the westernmost tip of Oʻahu. there is a disputed eruption that occurred near the volcano on May 22nd 1956

References

Volcanoes of Oahu Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain Extinct volcanoes of the United States Polygenetic shield volcanoes Pliocene shield volcanoes Pleistocene shield volcanoes Neogene Oceania Cenozoic Hawaii {{volcanology-stub

Geology

See also

References