Hey everyone, and welcome to World Heritage Journey.
For today's video, we're at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, in Hawaii, USA.
So this World Heritage Site barely needs an introduction.
The chain of islands in Hawaii is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,
and the National Park, and the World Heritage Site, are both located on the Big Island
The World Heritage Site itself covers two of the most important volcanoes in Hawaii,
the immense bulk of Mauna Loa, and the bubbling activity of Kilauea.
Let's check it out!
The two volcanoes in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
are an excellent example of island-building
where you can see first-hand the geological processes
that formed - and continue to form! - the Hawaiian islands,
and of course, Earth itself.
Mauna Loa is the larger of the two volcanoes, standing at 4,169 metres tall, though when
measured from its base on the ocean floor it's over nine kilometres high, making it
the tallest mountain on Earth.
Mauna Loa, like all Hawaiian volcanoes, is a shield volcano, much larger in width than
height.
This is because its lava is very fluid; it oozes over long distances before it hardens.
Each subsequent eruption builds a new layer of lava directly over the old, eventually
resulting in a large, dome-shaped volcano.
Categorised as an active volcano, Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984.
Lava flows rushed down the mountain's flanks, threatening the nearby city of Hilo.
Thankfully, the lava flow stopped short of the town without damaging property, and nobody
was killed.
Nearby, on the south-eastern flanks of Mauna Loa, sits the world's most active volcano,
and the centrepiece of this World Heritage Site: Kilauea.
Although it's recently fallen silent, Kilauea erupted almost continually between 1983 and
2018, when the last major eruption destroyed hundreds of homes and injured 24 people.
As with Mauna Loa, Kilauea is a shield volcano, and it's where much of the recent island-building
has taken place.
When Kilauea's lava flows reach the nearby ocean, it cools quickly and hardens in place,
essentially creating new land.
All of the Hawaiian islands were formed this way over millions of years, as the Pacific
tectonic plate drifted slowly over a magma hotspot.
Visiting the area is just incredible.
It's amazing to see first-hand the geological processes that have formed so much of our
planet, and to realise that these processes are still going on today.
The 2018 eruption alone created over 3.5 square kilometres, or 875 acres
of completely new land!
Everywhere you go in the park, you're reminded that this is a constantly changing landscape,
and plenty of things have changed since our most recent visit in 2016.
There's several old roads from the 1950s and 60s that are now totally impassable, covered
in solid lava flows, and of course roads are constantly opened and closed to the public
based on the current threat levels.
One fascinating spot was the Devastation Trail, a short hike across a barren landscape covered
in ash, pumice and cinder by Kilauea's 1959 eruption.
It's really interesting to see that despite the total destruction, plant life is slowly
returning to the area with trees, ferns and grass.
We also did a much longer hike along the Kilauea Iki trail, which descends into the crater
from the 1959 eruption via the rainforest.
It was a fascinating walk, checking out the crater from ground level rather than the overlooks.
We also made sure to see the Ha'akulamanu, or Sulphur Banks.
Here, sulphuric gases from deep within the volcano steam out through small cracks in
the rocks.
It leaves behind the characteristic yellow stain on the rocks, and of course it stinks
like sulphur dioxide: rotten eggs. Gross.
And of course there's the famous Thurston Lava Tube, an underground cave formed entirely
by lava.
It runs for over a hundred metres, and it's fascinating to think about the geological
processes behind its formation.
These days, the Tube is located in a lush rainforest full of birds and tropical plants.
Our final stop was the impressive Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs, a series of 23,000 rock carvings
scratched into hardened lava.
There's all sorts of petroglyphs here, with human shapes, swirls, lines and circles.
It's not known exactly when the petroglyphs were carved, but the lava is estimated to
be around 500-800 years old.
It gives you a great insight into the culture of the native Hawaiians, and their worship
of the volcanoes.
Overall, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is an incredible spot.
There aren't many places on Earth where you can directly watch, first-hand, the processes
that have formed the earth over millions of years.
But this is one of them, and if you've got even a passing interest in geology, volcanoes
or nature, it should absolutely be near the top of your bucket list.
Anyway, that's it from us, thank you so much for watching.
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We'll see you next time.