Geologic Background:
The youngest volcano on Maui is Haleakala. This
active volcano is in its rejuvenated stage, it last
erupted about 1790 and has a poorly-established eruptive
recurrence interval of several hundred years. Three
fissure, or rift, zones extend to the northwest, east,
and southwest. A large summit depression, originally
interpreted as a caldera and later as an erosional
feature, may have been formed from the coalescence of the
headwalls of two landslides to the north and south of the
summit. The volcano consists of shield-stage lava (1.1
million to 900,000 years old), postshield-stage lava
(860,000 to 410,000 years old), and rejuvenated stage
lava (younger than 400,000 years old). Haleakala is
unique in that rejuvenated-stage vents are aligned along
the rift zones. Haleakala is a potentially dangerous
volcano that is likely to erupt again within the next
several hundred years.
Historic Activity:
- The only known historical eruption (1790) at
Haleakala occurred near La Perouse Bay and was witnessed
by Hawaiians.
Recent Activity:
Data Sources:
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