Meet the Hawaiian Islands: Fun Facts & Geology
Update (2026): A few facts have changed since this post was written. The undersea volcano Lo'ihi, southeast of the Big Island, was officially renamed Kama'ehuakanaloa in 2021. Newer dating by the U.S. Geological Survey indicates that Haleakala on Maui last erupted several centuries ago (roughly between 1480 and 1600), not in 1790 as once believed. Many researchers also now place the first Polynesian settlement of Hawai'i later than 600 A.D., around 1000-1200 A.D.
By Dan Scroggins
Note: The following is the formation of the Hawaiian Islands according to scientists. Hawaiians have their own creation story that I will share in my next post.
The Hawaiian archipelago began to form around 5 million years ago and today consists of 132 volcanic islands, which stretch 1,600 miles across the pacific. They are the largest mass of mountains and the most remote island chain in the world. You are probably somewhat familiar with the 8 major islands, listed in order from northwest to southeast, also the order in which they were formed: Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, O’ahu, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Maui, Kaho’olawe and Hawai’i. Hawai’i or the Big Island, is the youngest island and the only one with current volcanic activity.
There is a new island forming under water southeast of the Big Island named Lo’ihi. The last eruption on Maui was as recent as 1790. The Pacific Plate which makes up the ocean floor moves over a “hotspot.” Periodically, a volcano punches through the plate, forms an island, stops forming an island, and then moves northwest with the other islands, like Hershey kisses on a conveyer belt.
Many parts of Hawaii are lush and tropical and it is hard to imagine that at one time they were just mounds of hardened lava. All seeds came by wind, sea or birds and before human contact the islands were primarily grasslands. That all changed when humans arrived on the scene circa 600 A.D. They brought with them coconuts, taro, bananas, chickens, pigs and dogs. Of course, most things we associate with Hawaii, such as coconut trees, coffee, macadamia nuts and pineapples, are not native to the islands at all.
So there it is, a very short and brief natural history of the Hawaiian islands. I know that this blog post contains very deep and intellectual writing, but please, publishers do not clog my inbox with requests to publish my work. Aloha \m/
Basic Manual for Hawaii’s Tour Drivers and Guides. Professional Standards for Hawaii’s Tour Guides. Kapi’olani Community College, 2015.
See Hawai'i's volcanic story up close on our Volcanoes National Park Tour, read our park visitor tips, or learn the Hawaiian creation story in The Hawaiian Creation Legend and Taro.