HONOLULU ( KHON ) – It’s going to take millions of years to occur, but the Hawaiian islands as we know them are gradually moving toward their eventual demise.
The Pacific Plate, which contains the Hawaii archipelago, is moving northwest in the Pacific Ocean at a rate of four centimeters per year.
So, if you were born in Hawaii in 1950, then you are now 116 inches, or 13.7 feet, farther northwest than you were on that day.
If you were born in the year 2000, then you are just over 37 inches, or a little more than three feet, northwest of where you were born.
It’s an interesting phenomenon.
There are several things that you need to know before you can truly understand the extraordinary nature of our migrating islands.
The volcanoes below us
The United States Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is tasked with monitoring six volcanoes.
These are:
- Kīlauea which is currently erupting within Halemaʻumaʻu.
- Mauna Loa had its most recent eruption in 2022.
- Hualālai hasn’t had an eruption since 1801.
- Haleakalā , located on Maui, had its most recent eruption sometime between 1480 to 1600 CE.
- Mauna Kea hasn’t had an eruption in more than 4,000 years.
- Kamaʻehuakanaloa had its most recent activity in 1996.