Exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Pauahi Crater

by Donald B. MacGowan

Evening comes to Pauahi Crater and Mauna Ulu, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Graphic from Photo by Donald B MacGowan

There are many wondrous, enigmatic and fascinating attractions on the Big Island of Hawaii, some better known than others, many out of the way and generally off the beaten track. Tour Guide Hawaii has produced an encyclopedic collection of the most up-to-date information, presented as short GPS-cued videos, in an app downloadable to iPhone and iPod Touch that covers the entire Big Island, highlighting the popular and the uncrowded, the famous and the secluded, the adventurous and the relaxing.

Pauahi Crater

Pauahi Crater at Sunset, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

An enormous, hour-glass-shaped crater nearly 2000 feet long and 300 feet deep, Pauahi Crater has ponded lava flows in its bottom from both the 1973 and 1979 eruptions. Cracks in the crater floor coupled with the high-lava “ring-around-the-crater” mark on the crater walls indicate that at least some of the lava from the 1973 flow drained back underground through this crater during the eruption.

Ponded lava flows in the bottom of Pauahi Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

In 1979, earthquake swarms beneath Pauahi Crater alerted geologists at the Volcano Observatory to an impending eruption. 11 hours after the first quakes, steam began issuing in jets from the north rim of the crater. As the fissure tore open the north wall of the crater, lava issued in huge fountains, forming flows which crossed the road. This spectacular eruption lasted only one day, causing much damage but an equal amount of delight to the thousands of Park visitors who witnessed its fiery savagery.

Ohi'a blossom at Pauahi Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

To see the new iPhone/iPod Touch App, please visit http://www.tourguidehawaii.com/iphone.html.

Evening comes to Pauahi Crater and Mauna Ulu, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Photo by Donald B MacGowan

The best of Tour Guide Hawaii’s free content about traveling to, and exploring, the Big island, can be found here.  For more information on traveling to Hawaii in general and on touring the Big Island in particular, please also visit www.tourguidehawaii.com and www.tourguidehawaii.blogspot.com.

All media copyright 2010 by Donald B. MacGowan. All rights reserved.

Pauahi Crater at Sunset, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Graphic from Photo by Donald B MacGowan