Aloha from Hawaii
Family pic at the Kilauea volcano Family pic (no masks) in warm Hawaii! Aloha! The Big Island of Hawaii is not the first place most people think of when they think about the white sand beaches and big surf of Hawaii. Yet it is actually the most modern and youngest (geologically speaking, that is) of all the islands. Size It is the largest of the Hawaiian islands, hence the name (yet only a mere 93 miles north to south and 76 miles east to west). It also boasts the tallest mountain on earth! No, not Mt. Everest. That's in Nepal. According to my 9 year old son, Mauna Kea on the Big Island is actually the tallest (sea) mountain and is 4,000 feet taller than Mt. Everest at 33,500 feet. It currently sits over the Hawaiian hot spot, a plume of magma, under the surface of the Pacific tectonic plate. The magma makes Kilauea an active volcano and the mountain goddess, Pele (PAY-LAY), controls her flows. Unpredictable? Very. Terrifying? At times. Out of this world? Definitely! History Haw