Document Type

Research

Abstract

The territory of Hawaii consists of eight principal islands of a total area of about 6460 square miles. They are the emergent peaks of a range of volcanic mountains some of which rise to over thirty thousand feet above the floor of the ocean and nearly half as much above the level of the sea. Considered from the ocean floor the Hawaiian range is of about the same length and breadth as the Alps and its summit peaks are nearly twice as high as any in the Alps. Although the area rising to fifteen thousand feet above the general level of the surrounding ocean bottom and hence above the sea is small, a territory of over twenty thousand square miles rises to more than ten thousand feet above the surrounding floor. The emergent parts of the several islands are great volcanic cones with angles of slope ranging from eight to fifteen degrees. The younger cones are only slightly dissected but the older masses are profoundly gashed by stream erosion. All bear around their coasts the wave-cut cliffs and benches testifying to the vigor of marine abrasion.

Publication Date

1925

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

Issue

First Page

359

Last Page

360

Copyright

Language

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Wentworth, Chester K. (1925) "Physical Features of the Hawaiian Islands," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 32(1), 359-360.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol32/iss1/65

Download

Comments?

COinS

Physical Features of the Hawaiian Islands

Authors