The West Maui Mountains, West Maui Volcano, or Mauna Kahālāwai which means "holding house of water," is approximately 1.7 million years old and forms a much
eroded
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is disti ...
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 constitutes the western quarter of
Maui. Since its last eruption approximately 320,000 years ago, the West Maui Mountains have undergone substantial stream erosion.
[
The three ''moku'' (districts) of West Maui are Lahaina, Kāanapali, and Wailuku. Wailuku is also known as "Pūalikomohana" ("west isthmus"), or "Nā Wai Ehā" ("the four waters"). The port of ]Lahaina
Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Lah ...
lies on the southwestern slope.
The summit peak at elevation is called "Puu Kukui
Puu or Pu'u is a Hawaiian word for any protuberance, from a pimple to a hill, and can refer to:
* Puu Kukui, mountain peak in Hawaii
* Pu'u Huluhulu (Hawaii Route 200)
* Pu'u 'Ō'ō (Puu Oo), volcanic cone in Hawaii
* Setsuna Meioh (Sailor Pluto), ...
," and its name translates to "candlenut hill".
Puu Kukui Watershed Preserve
Established in 1988, the Puu Kukui Preserve is the largest private nature preserve in the State of Hawaii. Since 1994, the preserve has been managed by Maui Land & Pineapple Company
Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. (ML&P, ) is a land holding and operating company founded in 1909 and based in Kapalua, Hawaii, United States. It owns approximately on the island of Maui. It develops, sells, and manages residential, resort, co ...
in participation with The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Natu ...
and the State Natural Area Partnership. These groups work together to protect the watershed lands of the West Maui mountain.
Geological history
The West Maui Mountains were formed through at least three series of major volcanic eruptions during its shield building period.[ Rocks from the latest major shield-building eruptions are called the Honolua volcanic series, which are roughly 500,000 years old. However, there were several rejuvenated stage eruptions more recently, the last dating to roughly 320,000 years ago.]
References
External links
*
Puu Kukui Watershed Preserve
*
{{Maui County, Hawaii
Landforms of Maui
Mountains of Hawaii
Volcanoes of Maui Nui
Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain
Shield volcanoes of the United States
Hotspot volcanoes
Polygenetic shield volcanoes
Pleistocene shield volcanoes
Pleistocene Oceania
Cenozoic Hawaii