Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

West Maui Mountains

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Topo map
  
USGS Kilohana (HI)

Last eruption
  
?

Elevation
  
1,764 m

Parent range
  
Hawaiian Islands

Age of rock
  
1.32 Mega-annum

Easiest route
  
?

Prominence
  
1,728 m

West Maui Mountains httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommons11

Mountain type
  
Much eroded shield volcano

Volcanic arc/belt
  
Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain

Similar
  
Haleakalā, Pu'u Kukui, East Molokai V, Mauna Loa, Kohala

Hawaii charter flights spectacular west maui mountains and valleys in a cessna caravan ce208


The West Maui Mountains or West Maui Volcano, known to the Hawaiians as Maui Komohana and to geologists as Mauna Kahalawai, forms a much eroded shield volcano that constitutes the western one-quarter of the Hawaiian Island of Maui. Since its last eruption approximately 320,000 years ago, the West Maui Mountains have undergone substantial stream erosion.

Contents

Map of West Maui Mountains, Hawaii 96793, USA

The three moku or districts of west Maui are Lāhaina, Kāʻanapali, and Wailuku. Wailuku is also known as Pūʻalikomohana, or Nā Wai ʻEhā which means the four waters. The 4 waters are the ahupuaʻa (smaller land division than district), which are Waikapū, Wailuku, Waiʻehu, and Waiheʻe.

The port of Lāhainā lies on the southwestern slope.

The summit peak is called Puʻu Kukui, at 5,788 feet (1,764 m) elevation. Pu'u Kukui translates into "candlenut hill".

Hawaii west maui mountains trailer waihee ridge trail


Puʻu Kukui Watershed PreserveEdit

Established in 1988, the Puʻu Kukui Preserve is the largest private nature preserve in the State of Hawaii. Since 1994, the 8,661-acre (35.05 km2) preserve has been managed by Maui Land & Pineapple Company in participation with The Nature Conservancy and the State Natural Area Partnership. These groups work together to protect the watershed lands of the West Maui mountain.

Geological historyEdit

The West Maui Mountains were formed through at least three series of major volcanic eruptions during its shield building period, starting 1.4 million years ago. The mountains used to be over 13,000 feet high, but has collapsed and eroded down to a much smaller 5,100 feet. Rocks from the latest major shield-building eruptions are call the Honolua volcanics, which are roughly 500,000 years old. However, there were several re-juvenated stage eruptions more recently, the last dating to roughly 320,000 years ago.

References

West Maui Mountains Wikipedia