Mauna Kea Volcano
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Mauna Kea Volcano is a dormant volcano located on the island of Hawaii. It stands 13,803 feet above sea level and its' peak is the highest elevation in Hawaii. A lot of the volcano is located below the sea and so the total height of Mauna Kea is 33,100 feet. This measurement is twice the height of Mount Everest.
Images
A beautiful shot of the volcano
A photo of the volcano from the air
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Scientists say Mauna Kea is 1 Million years old and already went through its active stage that was called the shield stage. It is currently in a post shield stage.
Mauna Kea is considered a sacred mountain to Hawaiians and its name means “white mountain”. Hawaiian's ancient law permitted only the tribal chiefs to go to the peak. The ancient people used the mountain forest life for food and made tools from the volcanic basalt. Since the 1980s a number of historical burial sites and some shrines has been found here indicating cultural signifigance for the natives.
Because of the great height of Mauna Kea and the fact that it is a dry environment, with not a lot of airflow, it is used as a site for astronomy. Thirteen telescopes from different countries have been set up there.
Mauna Kea has evidence of glaciers from the past ice ages. Even though Hawaii is tropical in temperature, snow remains on its summit throughout the summer.