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Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea with its seasonal snowcap, viewed from Kohala Mountain
Elevation 13,796 feet (4,205 m)
(from base to summit: 33,000 ft (10,000 m))
Location Hawaii, USA
Range Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain
Prominence 13,796 ft (4,205 m) Ranked 15th
Coordinates 19°49′15.7″N 155°28′06.0″W / 19.821028, -155.46833Coordinates: 19°49′15.7″N 155°28′06.0″W / 19.821028, -155.46833
Topo map USGS Mauna Kea
Type Shield volcano
Volcanic arc/belt Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain
Age of rock 0. In topography a summit is a point on a surface which is higher in Elevation than all points immediately adjacent to The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys The Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain is composed of the Hawaiian Ridge, consisting of the islands of the Hawaiian chain northwest to Kure Atoll, and the Emperor This is a list of Mountain peaks ordered by their Topographic prominence. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A topographic map is a type of Map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using Contour lines in modern The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. Mountains can be characterized in several ways Some mountains are Volcanoes and can be characterized by the type of lava and eruptive history A shield volcano is a large Volcano with shallow-sloping sides A volcanic arc is a chain of volcanic islands or Mountains formed by Plate tectonics as an oceanic Tectonic plate subducts under A volcanic belt is a large volcanically active region Other terms are used for smaller areas of activity such as volcanic fields Volcanic belts are found above zones The Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain is composed of the Hawaiian Ridge, consisting of the islands of the Hawaiian chain northwest to Kure Atoll, and the Emperor The geologic time scale is a chronologic schema (or idealized Model) relating Stratigraphy to time that is used by Geologists and other 4 Ma
Last eruption ~2460 BC ± 100 years

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanoes which together form the island of Hawaii. Annum is one form of the Latin noun meaning Year, not a form normally used for derivatives in modern languages the accusative singular Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an Archipelago of 19 Islands and Atolls numerous smaller The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island, is a volcanic Island in the U Pu'u Wekiu, one of numerous cinder cones on the summit plateau, is the highest point in the state of Hawaii at 13,796 feet (4,205 m). Volcanic cones are among the simplest Volcano formations in the world The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world when measured from base to summit, since its base is located on the seafloor about 19,000 feet (5,800 m) beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean, bringing its total height to about 33,000 ft (10,000 m). The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions In the Hawaiian language, mauna kea means "white mountain", a reference to its summit being regularly snow-capped during the Northern Hemisphere winter. The Hawaiian language (Hawaiian ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i) is an Austronesian language that takes its name from Hawai'i, the largest island in the tropical

Contents

Geology

Mauna Kea is in the post-shield stage of volcanic evolution, having made the transition from the shield stage before about 200,000 to 250,000 years ago. Most of the Hawaiian volcanoes (that is the Volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian Islands) go through several defined stages of evolution during their lifespans At that time, its appearance was probably quite similar to that of its neighbor Mauna Loa today, a smooth shield volcano with a large summit caldera. Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth and one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption Following the transition, eruptions became more explosive in character, resulting in the formation of numerous overlapping cinder cones which eventually filled and completely obscured the caldera. A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep conical Hill of volcanic fragments that accumulate around and downwind from a Volcanic vent. These cinder cones now form the peaks at the summit of Mauna Kea, with several of them exceeding 13,500 ft (4,100 m) in elevation. After several hundred thousand years of slowly building itself up by volcanic activity, the mountain's height is slowly decreasing now as its massive weight depresses the Pacific seafloor beneath it.

The summit of Mauna Kea was entirely covered by a massive ice cap during the Pleistocene ice ages. An ice cap is an Ice mass that covers less than 50 000 km² of land area (usually covering a highland area The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The summit shows evidence of four periods of glaciation over the last 200,000 years, the last ending about 11,000 years ago, when the most recent ice age finished. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The dense rock at the noted adz quarry near the summit is believed to have been formed when lava erupted under a glacier. Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period.

Climatic zones and biomes

The summit plateau of Mauna Kea is entirely above timberline, with a landscape of mostly bare rock with patches of alpine tundra. The tree line or timberline is the edge of the habitat at which Trees are capable of growing In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons Snowfall often occurs at elevations above 11,000 feet (3,400 m) during the period from November through March. During particularly cold and wet winters (usually linked to La Niña), a snowpack several feet (1 m) deep may remain in the summit region above 13,000 ft (4,000 m) for weeks or months, permitting skiing and other snowplay activities on the slopes of the cinder cones. El Niño-Southern Oscillation ( ENSO; commonly referred to as simply El Niño) is a global coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon

Between 5,200 and 8,000 feet (1,600 and 2,400 m) is a band of ranch land, which was formerly koa-mamane forest but has been almost entirely converted to pasture. The koa ( Acacia koa; Family Fabaceae) is a large tree endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, primarily Hawai{{okina}}i, Maui Māmane ( Sophora chrysophylla) is a plant of the pea and bean family. This area has suffered from heavy infestations of gorse, an invasive species in Hawaii. Gorse ( Ulex) comprises a Genus of about 20 species of Evergreen Shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions Most of the north and west slopes are also pasture. The palila, an endangered finch-like honeycreeper, feeds almost exclusively on mamane seeds and lives in mamane-naio forest on the west slope. The Palila ( Loxioides bailleui) is an endangered finch-billed species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. Finches are Passerine Birds often Seed -eating found chiefly in the northern hemisphere and Africa. Also see Honeycreeper (disambiguation. The typical honeycreepers are small Birds in the Tanager family Māmane ( Sophora chrysophylla) is a plant of the pea and bean family. Myoporum sandwicense or naio (also known as "bastard sandalwood" or "false sandalwood" is a species of Plant in the Large numbers of feral sheep inhabit the upper elevations, and have had a severe impact on the native vegetation.

The windward (eastern) slopes are covered in rain forest between about 1,500 and 5,200 feet (450-1,600 m) elevation. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches Below this are extensive agricultural lands that formerly included vast areas of sugar cane. Sugarcane ( Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae With the collapse of the sugar industry in the 1990s, much of this land is idle or used for eucalyptus farming for wood pulp, cattle grazing, or small-scale farming. Eucalyptus (From Greek ευκάλυπτος meaning "well covered" is a diverse Genus of Trees (and a few shrubs the members of which

Astronomy

Main article: Mauna Kea Observatory

The summit of Mauna Kea is considered to be one of the best astronomical sites in the world. The Observatories at Mauna Kea, (MKO are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i For this reason it is home to many of the world's leading astronomical observatories. An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial and/or celestial events The summit is above approximately 40% of Earth's atmosphere and 90% of the water vapor, allowing for exceptionally clear images of the night sky. Additionally, the peak is well above the inversion layer, allowing up to 300 clear nights per year. In meteorology an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude Also, at 20°N latitude, much of both the northern and southern skies are visible. The fact that it is a shield volcano has meant that road transportation to the summit is relatively easy. A shield volcano is a large Volcano with shallow-sloping sides The low population density of the Island of Hawaii means that there is little light pollution from man-made sources. All of these factors have made Mauna Kea an ideal location for state-of-the-art astronomy.

Construction of telescopes on Mauna Kea has been a source of controversy in recent years. Due to the qualities listed above, it is a highly favored location and the summit area is now home to over a dozen telescopes. Native Hawaiian groups have protested that construction of additional telescopes would cause considerable environmental damage and further desecrate a site that they consider sacred. "Kanaka" redirects here For the Tamil actress see Kanaka (actress. They consider that the summit of Mauna Kea is the home of the snow goddess, Poliahu. In Hawaiian mythology, Poliahu is one of the four goddesses of Snow, enemies of Pele. In addition, the summit area is home to a unique insect, the wēkiu bug, which feeds on insects blown to the summit by updrafts. The wēkiu bug ( Nysius wekiuicola) is an unusual Seed bug, endemic to Hawai{{okina}}i. Studies on the impact of telescopes on wēkiu bug populations have been inconclusive, with accusations of over-collecting and bias among the different parties. Some mercury spills and sewage dumps have also been reported at the existing telescopes; these are of particular concern because of the unique and otherwise-pristine underground water systems in the area. Mercury (ˈmɜrkjʊri also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum, is a Chemical element with the symbol Hg ( Latinized hydrargyrum Sewage is the mainly liquid Waste containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water Feces, Urine, laundry waste and other

See also

References

Mauna Kea view from Kohala
Mauna Kea view from Kohala

External links

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