Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you look at a map of Hawai'i, you will notice that the islands drift to the northwest in
a regular pattern. The Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanoes which hover over a con-
sistent hot spot in the core of the Earth while the tectonic plate containing the Hawaiian Is-
lands drifts to the northwest at 3-5 inches per year, essentially creating an “island conveyer
belt.” Over the course of millions of years islands will bubble up from the ocean floor, and
as soon as they drift off the hot spot and their cores change into extinct volcanoes, they
begin the torturous, northwestern drift of steady erosion until they become shorter, smal-
ler, and more dramatically sculpted. This explains why the Big Island of Hawai'i (which
has created 500 new acres of land in its most recent eruption) is the largest island with the
