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Research about Hawaii

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Hawaii.

At least 901 records · Page 50Linked to original sources
USGS1997

Living on active volcanoes - The Island of Hawai'i

People on the Island of Hawai'i face many hazards that come with living on or near active volcanoes. These include lava flows, explosive eruptions, volcanic smog, damaging earthquakes, and tsunamis (giant seawaves). As the population of the island grows, the task of reducing the risk from volcano hazards becomes increasingly difficult. To help protect lives and property, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory closely monitor and study Hawai'i's volcanoes and issue timely warnings of hazardous activity.

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USGS1997

The geology and petrology of Mauna Kea Volcano, Hawaii — A study of postshield volcanism

Mauna Kea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaii, is capped by lavas of alkalic and transitional basalt (Hamakua Volcanics) erupted between approximately 250-200 and 70-65 ka and hawaiite, mugearite, and benmoreite (Laupahoehoe Volcanics) erupted between approximately 65 and 4 ka. These lavas, which form the entire subaerial surface of the volcano, issued from numerous scattered vents and are intercalated on the upper slopes with glacial deposits. The lavas record diminishing magma-supply rate and degree of partial melting from the shield stage through the postshield stage. Much of the compositional variation apparently reflects fractionation of basaltic magma in reservoirs within and beneath the volcano.

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USGS1997

Water resources data, Hawaii, water year 1995: Volume 1. Hawaii

Water-resources data for the 1995 water year for Hawaii consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and springs; and water levels and quality of water wells. This report contains discharge records for 91 gaging stations; water quality at 12 gaging stations; 22 partial-record flow stations, and 167 wells; and water levels for 78 observation wells. Also included are 107 crest-stage partial record stations, 4 miscellaneous partial-record stations, 6 low-flow partial-record stations, and 44 rainfall stations. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and other local agencies in Hawaii.

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USGS1997

Water resources data, Hawaii, water year 1996: Volume 1. Hawaii

Water resources data for the 1996 water year for Hawaii consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and springs; and water levels and quality of water wells. Water discharge for 87 gaging stations on streams, springs, and ditches. Discharge data for 107 crest-stage partial-record stations and 4 miscellaneous sites. Water-quality data for 11 streams, 19 partial-record stations, and 155 wells. Water levels for 69 observation wells. Rainfall data for 43 rainfall stations. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and other local agencies in Hawaii.

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USGS1997

Sea-floor geology of a part of Mamala Bay, Hawaii

We surveyed the sea-floor geology within a 200-km2 area of Mamala Bay, off Honolulu, Hawaii by collecting and analyzing sidescan sonar images, 3.5-kHz profiles, video and still visual images, and box-core samples. The study area extends from 20-m water depth on the insular shelf to 600-m water depth in a southeast-trending trough. The sidescan images depict three principal types of sea-floor material: low-backscatter natural sediment, high-backscatter drowned carbonate reef, and intermediate-backscatter dredged-material deposits. Cores indicate that the natural sediment is muddy sand, composed of carbonate reef and microfauna debris with some volcanic grains. Vague areal trends in composition are evident. The dredged material comprises poorly sorted, cobble- to clay-size mixtures of reef, volcanic, and man-made debris, up to 35 cm thick. Dredged-material deposits are not evident in the 3.5-kHz profiles. In the sidescan images they appear as isolated, circular to subcircular imprints, apparently formed by individual drops, around the periphery of their occurrence, but they overlap and coalesce to a nearly continuous, intermediate-backscatter blanket toward the center of three disposal sites investigated. We did not observe significant currents during our camera surveys, but there is abundant evidence of sediment reworking: symmetrical and asymmetrical ripples in the visual images, sand waves in the 3.5-kHz profiles and side-scan images, moats around the reefs in 3.5-kHz profiles, winnowed dredged material in the visual images, and burial of dredged material by natural sediment in cores. Most current indicators imply a westerly to northwesterly transport direction, along contours or up-slope, although there are a few areas of easterly indicators. Internal waves probably drive the transport; their possible existence is implied by measured water-column density gradients.

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USGS1997

Evidence of Newell's Shearwater breeding in Puna District, Hawaii

Nocturnal surveys using auditory cues and night-vision equipment were conducted during the seabird breeding season in 1993 to determine use of inland areas in the Puna District, Hawaii by Newell's Shearwater ( Puffinus auricularus newelli ). Two hundred sixty Newell's Shearwater auditory or visual detections were made during 275 survey hours from 23 Jul. 1993 - 20 Sep. 1993. Mean detection rates were 1.26 birds/h at Puulena Crater ( n = 160 Newell's Shearwater detections), 1.05 birds/h at Heiheiahulu ( n = 99) and 0.04 birds/ h at Puu Kaliu ( n = 2). Vocalizing peaked between 50 and 90 min after sunset and 4 h before sunrise. Although night-vision equipment was used on most of the seabird surveys, only 4% of seabirds were detected visually. Two road-killed birds collected in Puna in June 1993, and four burrows located in Puulena Crater after the 1994 breeding season, provided additional evidence of breeding.

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USGS1997

Status, ecology, and management of the invasive plant, Miconia calvescens DC (Melastomataceae) in the Hawaiian islands

Miconia calvescens (Melastomataceae), native to montane forests of the neotropics, has now invaded wet forests of both the Society and Hawaiian Islands. This tree, which grows up to 15 m tall, is potentially the most invasive and damaging weed of rainforests of Pacific islands. In moist conditions, it grows rapidly, tolerates shade, and produces abundant seed that is effectively dispersed by birds and accumulates in a large, persistent soil seed-bank. Introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in 1961, M. calvescens appears to threaten much of the biological diversity in native forests receiving 1800–2000 mm or more annual precipitation. Currently, M. calvescens is found on 4 Hawaiian islands— Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. Widespread awareness of this invader began in the early 1990s. Although biological control is being pursued, conventional control techniques (mechanical and chemical) to contain and eradicate it locally are underway.

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USGS1997

Kauai's endangered solitaires: Update on population status and distribution 1996

The puaioihi ( Myadestes palmeri ) and the kamao ( M. myadestinus ) are endangered solitaires endemic to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands and now restricted to the Alakai Swamp. The puaiohi has been rare historically with population estimates declining since the first population surveys 1968-73. Puaiohi were believed to be on the verge of extinction with population estimates less than 35 birds since 1981. In 1995 intensive studies of the breeding biology and population status of the puaiohi began using mist netting, color banding, spot mapping, and surveys. Fifty active nests were discovered and 63-75 birds monitored at the Koaie study site. Seven survey expeditions in 1996 detected 55-70 more puaiohi from 6 of 8 main river drainages of four survey areas explored. Although still rare and vulnerable to extinction (145±19 individuals known), puaiohi are more widely distributed within the Alakai Swamp than previously believed. Our data from 1996 suggest previous surveys methods have underestimated the population size or that the population has increased since 1981. The kamao has not been confirmed since 1985, but unconfirmed reports were made from 1989-1996. We have not sighted kamao to date despite intensive search efforts. We infer from detection probabilities that the species in highly likely to be extinct.

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USGS1996

Type of faulting and orientation of stress and strain as a function of space and time in Kilauea's south flank, Hawaii

Earthquake focal mechanisms of events occurring between 1972 and 1992 in the south flank of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, are used to infer the state of stress and strain as a function of time and space. We have determined 870 fault plane solutions from P wave first motion polarities for events with magnitudes M L ≥ 2.5 and depth ranging between 6 and 12 km. Faulting is characterized by a mixture of decollement, reverse, and normal faults. Most large earthquakes with magnitude M < 7 slip on reverse faults striking NE at 40° and dipping SE between 60° and 70°. In Hawaii, the earthquakes with M > 7 rupture the decollement plane, since it is the only surface large enough to generate magnitude 7 or larger earthquakes. The percentage of reverse faulting events is high compared to the decollement and normal faulting mechanisms for the period 1972–1983. The percentage of decollement type focal mechanisms becomes dominant after 1983. This pattern of faulting activity suggests that pressure was building up within Kilauea's rift zone prior to the 1983 Puu'Oo eruption. Overall, a single stress orientation with the maximum compressive stress oriented SE perpendicular to the rift and dipping at 45° is compatible with the coeval existence of decollement, reverse, and normal faults. However, in a crustal volume east of longitude 155°10′W, we find a change of the orientation of σ 1 from nearly horizontal to plunging 45° SE occurring in 1979. This stress rotation suggests magma movements within the aseismic part of Kilauea's east rift zone. The strain and stress orientations are coaxial in the south flank except within the volume where the stress rotation is observed. We observe a change in the relationship between stress and strain directions caused either by the shifting of seismic activity from reverse faults to decollements, while stress stays constant, or by a rotation of stress, while strain remains constant. Assuming that the model of a noncohesive Coulomb wedge is appropriate for Kilauea's south flank, we find that high pore pressures are prevalent along the decollement and within the wedge for a coefficient of friction equal to 0.85.

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USGS1996

Hydrothermal mineralization along submarine rift zones, Hawaii

This is the first article to describe mineralization of midplate submarine rift zones and hydrothermal manganese oxide mineralization of midplate volcanic edifices. Hydrothermal Mn oxides were recovered from submarine extensions of two Hawaiian rift zones, along Haleakala and Puna Ridges. These Mn oxides form two types of deposits, metallic stratiform layers in volcaniclastic rocks and cement for clastic rocks; both deposit types are composed of todorokite and bimessite. Thin Fe‐Mn crusts that coat some rocks formed by a combination of hydrogenetic and hydrothermal processes and are composed of δ‐MnO 2 . The stratiform layers have high Mn contents (mean 40%) and a large fractionation between Mn and Fe (Fe/Mn = 0.04). Unlike most other hydrothermal Mn oxide deposits, those from Hawaiian rift zones are enriched in the trace metals Zn, Co, Ba, Mo, Sr, V, and especially Ni (mean 0.16%). Metals are derived from three sources: mafic and ultramafic rocks leached by circulating hydrothermal fluids, clastic material (in Mn‐cemented sandstone), and seawater that mixed with the hydrothermal fluids. Mineralization on Haleakala Ridge occurred sometime during the past 200 to 400 ka, when the summit was at a water depth of more than 1,000 m. Hydrothermal circulation was probably driven by heat produced by intrusion of dikces, magma reservoirs, and flow of magma through axial and lateral conduits. The supply of seawater to ridge interiors must be extensive because of their high porosity and permeability. Precipitation of Mn oxide below the seafloor is indicated by its occurrence as cement, growth textures that show mineralizing fluids were introduced from below, and pervasive replacement of original matrix of clastic rocks.

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USGS1996

Waters associated with an active basaltic volcano, Kilauea, Hawaii: Variation in solute sources, 1973-1991

Chemical and isotopic analyses of samples collected from a December 1962-m-deep research borehole at the summit of Kilauea Volcano provide unique time-series data for composition of waters in the uppermost part of its hydrothermal system. These waters have a distinctive geochemical signature: a very low proportion of chloride relative to other anions compared with other Hawaiian waters—thermal (•30°C) or nonthermal (<30°C)—and with most thermal waters of the world. Isotope data demonstrate that the borehole waters are of essentially meteoric origin, with minimal magmatic input.

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USGS1996

Uncertainty of groundwater vulnerability assessments for agricultural regions in Hawaii: Review

There are important challenges associated with assessing potential groundwater vulnerability hazards that may result from regional scale applications of agrochemicals. The increasing availability of Geographic Information System (GIS) software to those involved in assisting with landuse decisions has resulted in the widespread production of multicolored risk management maps for many environmentally sensitive issues. Soil-based GIS's have recently been coupled to various solute-leaching models to make near-surface groundwater vulnerability assessments for guidance in pesticide regulation in several states. In general, these assessments rest on soil, climatic, and chemical data that are extremely sparse and contain considerable uncertainty. It is also important to acknowledge the uncertainty associated with the transport/fate processes that are not accounted for by the modeling approach used to make the assessment. In this paper, we review the results from a series of papers that have focused on characterization of uncertainty in pesticide mobility estimates, using the attenuation and retardation indices (AF and RF), for the Pearl Harbor Basin on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Relative to data error uncertainties, we discuss the impacts of: (i) soil, climatic, and chemical data base uncertainties, (ii) reductions in data base uncertainties, (iii) extrapolation of soil data base information based on soil taxonomy and soil survey, and (iv) importing information from outside the region of interest. Relative to model error uncertainties, we compare pesticide leaching estimates from the simple AF and RF mobility indices with simulations from the EPA's Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM) and field observations. Finally, we outline a Regional Integrated Risk Assessment approach for characterizing regional scale groundwater vulnerability for near-surface nonpoint sources.

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USGS1996

Coexistence and community structure of tropical trees in a Hawaiian montane rain forest

We measured the diameter at breast height of all trees and shrubs > 5 meters in height, including standing dead trees, on 68 0.04-hectare study plots in a montane, subtropical rain forest on Mauna Loa, Hawai`i. The canopy species consisted of 88 percent Metrosideros polymorpha (ohia) and 12 percent Acacia koa (koa). Negative associations were found between the densities of koa and ohia, the density of koa and the total basal area of ohia, and the total basal areas of koa and ohia. The two-species lottery competition model, a stochastic model in which the coexistence of two species in a space-limited community results from temporal variation in recruitment and death rates, predicts a quadratic-beta distribution for the proportion of space occupied by each species. A discrete version of the quadratic-beta distribution, the quadratic-beta binomial distribution, was fit to the live koa and ohia densities and assessed with goodness-of-fit tests. Likelihood ratio tests provided evidence that the mean adult death rates of the two species were equal but that the relative competitive abilities of the two species favored ohia. These tests were corroborated by a contingency table analysis of death rates based on standing dead trees and growth rate studies which report that koa grows much faster than ohia. The lottery model predicts a positive covariance between death rates and ohia recruitment when mean death rates are equal and koa has a higher growth rate than ohia. We argue that the competitive advantage of ohia is due to its superior dispersal ability into large gaps, which would yield the positive covariance described above, and it is this positive covariance term that skews the occupation of space in favor of ohia.

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USGS1996

Summary of the Oahu, Hawaii, regional aquifer-system analysis

Oahu, the third largest of the Hawaiian islands, is formed by the eroded remnants of two elongated shield volcanoes with broad, low profiles. Weathering and erosion have modified the original domed surfaces of the volcanoes, leaving a landscape of deep valleys and steep interfluvial ridges in the interior highlands. The Koolau Range in eastern Oahu and the Waianae Range in western Oahu are the eroded remnants of the Koolau and Waianae Volcanoes. The origin, mode of emplacement, texture, and composition of the rocks of Oahu affect their ability to store and transmit water. The volcanic rocks are divided into four groups: (1) lava flows, (2) dikes, (3) pyroclastic deposits, and (4) saprolite and weathered basalt. Stratified sequences of thin-bedded lava flows form the most productive aquifers in Hawaii. Dikes are near-vertical sheets of massive intrusive rock that typically contain only fracture permeability. Pyroclastic deposits include ash, cinder, and spatter; they are essentially granular, with porosity and permeability similar to those of granular sediments. Weathering of basaltic rocks in the humid, subtropical climate of Oahu alters igneous minerals to clays and oxides, reducing the permeability of the parent rock. Saprolite is weathered material that has retained textural features of the parent rock. Estimates of hydraulic conductivity along the plane of dike-free lava flows tend to fall within about one order of magnitude, from about 500 to about 5,000 feet per day. Estimates of specific yield range from about 1 to 20 percent; most of the values lie within a narrow range of about 5 to 10 percent. The occurrence of ground water on Oahu is determined by the type and character of the rocks and by the presence of geohydrologic barriers. The primary modes of freshwater occurrence on Oahu are as a basal lens of fresh ground water floating on saltwater, as dike-impounded ground water, and as perched ground water. Saltwater occurs at depth throughout much of the island. A regional aquifer system composed of the Waianae aquifer in the Waianae Volcanics and the Koolau aquifer in the Koolau Basalt is subdivided into well-defined areas by geohydrologic barriers. The aquifers are separated by the Waianae confining unit formed by weathering along the Waianae-Koolau unconformity. In some coastal areas, a caprock of sedimentary deposits overlies and confines the aquifers. The island of Oahu has been divided into seven major ground-water areas delineated by deep-seated structural geohydrologic barriers; these areas are further subdivided by shallower internal barriers to ground-water flow. The Koolau rift zone along the eastern (windward) side of the island and the Waianae rift zone to the west (Waianae area) constitute two of the major ground-water areas. North-central Oahu is divided into three smaller ground-water areas, Mokuleia, Waialua, and Kawailoa. The Schofield ground-water area encompasses much of the Schofield Plateau of central Oahu. Southern Oahu is divided into six areas, Ewa, Pearl Harbor, Moanalua, Kalihi, Beretania, and Kaimuki. Southeastern Oahu is divided into the Waialae and Wailupe-Hawaii Kai areas. Along the northeast coast of windward Oahu is the Kahuku ground-water area. The aquifers of Oahu contain shallow freshwater and deeper saltwater flow systems. There are five fresh ground-water flow systems: meteoric freshwater flow diverges from ground-water divides that lie somewhere within the Waianae and Koolau rift zones, forming an interior flow system in central Oahu (which is divided into the northern and southern Oahu flow systems) and exterior flow systems in western (Waianae area) Oahu, eastern (windward) Oahu, and southeastern Oahu. Development of the ground-water resources on Oahu began when the first well was drilled near Honouliuli in the summer of 1879. By 1890, 86 wells had been drilled on the island. From about 1891 to about 1910, development increased rapidly with the drilling of a

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USGS1996

Water resources data, Hawaii and other Pacific areas, water year 1989: Volume 2. Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and American Samoa

Water-resources data for the 1989 water year for other Pacific areas consist of records of discharge, and water quality of streams and stage of a lake and reservoir; water levels and water quality in wells; stage in a tide gage; and rainfall. This report volume 2 contains discharge records for 26 gaging stations; stage only for 2 gaging stations; water quality at 11 gaging stations, one streamflow partial record station, and 54 wells; water levels for 28 observation wells; and tide stages for one tide gage station. Also included are 2 crest-stage partial record stations, 4 miscellaneous partial-record stations, 15 low-flow partial-record stations, and 19 rainfall stations. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and other agencies in other Pacific areas.

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