Hawaii chain of islands slowly migrating toward extinction

HONOLULU (KHON) – It’s going to take millions of years to occur, but the Hawaiian islands as we know them are gradually moving toward their eventual demise.

The Pacific Plate, which contains the Hawaii archipelago, is moving northwest in the Pacific Ocean at a rate of four centimeters per year.

So, if you were born in Hawaii in 1950, then you are now 116 inches, or 13.7 feet, farther northwest than you were on that day.

If you were born in the year 2000, then you are just over 37 inches, or a little more than three feet, northwest of where you were born.

It’s an interesting phenomenon.

There are several things that you need to know before you can truly understand the extraordinary nature of our migrating islands.

The volcanoes below us

The United States Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is tasked with monitoring six volcanoes.

These are:

• Kīlauea which is currently erupting within Halemaʻumaʻu.
• Mauna Loa had its most recent eruption in 2022.
• Hualālai hasn’t had an eruption since 1801.
• Haleakalā, located on Maui, had its most recent eruption sometime between 1480 to 1600 CE.
• Mauna Kea hasn’t had an eruption in more than 4,000 years.
• Kamaʻehuakanaloa had its most recent activity in 1996.

These volcanoes are important spiritual sites for kānaka maoli. They contain both myth and science.

Kamaʻehuakanaloa Seamount

This volcano was once believed to be nothing more than a vent for Kilauea when it was first observed by scientists who were not native to Hawaii. They named it Lōʻihi in reference to its status. However, the kānaka of Hawaii always knew what it was and had mele (chant) that documented its existence in traditional Hawaiian knowledge.

So, in July 2021, Lōʻihi Seamount was renamed Kamaʻehuakanaloa by the Hawaii Board on Geographic Names in order to reflect its importance in Hawaiian traditions, beliefs and knowledge.

As explained by Kuʻulei Kanahele of the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation to USGS, Kamaʻehuakanaloa “is a powerful name that invokes the name of Pelehonuamea and her birth out of Kanaloa [the ocean].”

So, as the island forms south of Hawaii Island, we have the unique experience of being able to watch the process of island making firsthand.

Length of the Archipelago

Today, there are eight inhabitable islands in the Hawaii Archipelago. These eight main Hawaiian islands are made up of 15 volcanoes, which are the youngest in a much longer linear chain of volcanoes. It is approximately 1,500 miles of mostly uninhabitable atolls.

The archipelago consists of more than 129 volcanoes that are both above and below sea level. They stretch farther for more than 3,800 miles across the north Pacific.

The Kure atoll is the northernmost coral atoll in the world. It is a former volcano, and it is the oldest part of the Hawaiian Island Chain that is still above water.

The diameter of the atoll is 5.8 miles. At the time of its creation, it was more like the inhabitable islands farther south of it. But over time, the atoll migrated northwestward and became less and less viable to sustain human life.

This is the life span of all the islands in the Hawaiian archipelago. They all move northwestward and become less and less suitable for human life.

The Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount chain

Now, this is where it starts to be a bit more interesting. Have you heard of the Hawaiian Emperor Seamount chain?

This seamount extends the territory of the archipelago by thousands of miles. The mauna kahiko are moving northward stretching all the way to Russia, making the archipelago nearly 4,000 miles and smaller only to the landmass of the Russian state.

The Hawaiian Emperor chain takes a sharp right leading its islands to migrate due north rather than northwest.

This is a less known part of the Hawaiian Archipelago history and one that scientists are intent on figuring out.

They do know that the direction shift occurred some time around 50 million years ago and that no other seamount chain on the planet has ever done this.

Some scientists believe that a collision of some sort instigated the shift. Meanwhile other scientists believe that the bend occurred due to something happening with Earth’s molten core.

So, as we continue to migrate northward, our islands are ebbing away. More and more coastal erosion is inevitable and the need for the humans living her to find a more suitable home will play out once again.