Eclectic Hawaii - Like no other
Older than Time / Younger Than You
All good things take time. Hawai'i's existence is no different. The islands likely began their journey upward from the seafloor some 70 million years ago, before even the dinosaurs met their end. These islands have been springing up from the sea in assembly line fashion, moving to the north and west on the earth's crust over time, eventually sinking below the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. But as old as the islands are, many hundreds of acres on the island of Hawai'i are likely younger than you are. So young in fact that even if you were born today some of the earth there would be newer than you still. And in another 50,000 years or so a new volcano will likely pop above the waves. Two dozen miles off the southeast coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, Lo'ihi continues its ascent to become the next Hawaiian island.
Lost World / New World
When Michael Crichton wrote his book famously entitled, "The Lost World," many people had flashbacks to “Jurassic Park.” If you've ever watched the show "LOST" on ABC, you might call it a "lost world.” Perhaps this is all more than just ironic. The “Jurassic Park” movies were, of course, filmed on Kauai, and "LOST' is filmed on Oahu. Such visions of a lost world were very real just a short time ago. Hawaii was the true "lost world" until around 2000 years ago. While much of the planet was inhabited by peoples far and wide, Hawai'i stood alone in the middle of the pacific for millions of years. Hawaii is approximately 2,000 miles from the nearest continent. Some 65-million square miles of open water surround the islands without interruption.
Even after the original settlers from the Pacific discovered and inhabited Hawaii, it wasn't another 1700 years that "modern" man would discover the islands. Captain James Cook stumbled upon the islands in 1778. The rest, as they say, is history.
All good things take time. Hawai'i's existence is no different. The islands likely began their journey upward from the seafloor some 70 million years ago, before even the dinosaurs met their end. These islands have been springing up from the sea in assembly line fashion, moving to the north and west on the earth's crust over time, eventually sinking below the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. But as old as the islands are, many hundreds of acres on the island of Hawai'i are likely younger than you are. So young in fact that even if you were born today some of the earth there would be newer than you still. And in another 50,000 years or so a new volcano will likely pop above the waves. Two dozen miles off the southeast coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, Lo'ihi continues its ascent to become the next Hawaiian island.
Lost World / New World
When Michael Crichton wrote his book famously entitled, "The Lost World," many people had flashbacks to “Jurassic Park.” If you've ever watched the show "LOST" on ABC, you might call it a "lost world.” Perhaps this is all more than just ironic. The “Jurassic Park” movies were, of course, filmed on Kauai, and "LOST' is filmed on Oahu. Such visions of a lost world were very real just a short time ago. Hawaii was the true "lost world" until around 2000 years ago. While much of the planet was inhabited by peoples far and wide, Hawai'i stood alone in the middle of the pacific for millions of years. Hawaii is approximately 2,000 miles from the nearest continent. Some 65-million square miles of open water surround the islands without interruption.
Even after the original settlers from the Pacific discovered and inhabited Hawaii, it wasn't another 1700 years that "modern" man would discover the islands. Captain James Cook stumbled upon the islands in 1778. The rest, as they say, is history.
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Author: J.C.Derrick
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