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The History Behind DIAMOND HEAD Crater - Honolulu County- Hawaii

Standing at Kewalo Basin I look out to Waikiki and the ever so famous Diamond Head (volcano crater) on the southeast coast of Oahu overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Overlooking an object in the water I choose to shoot the scene to 'possibility' depicting that the object is from some long ago sunken ship that wrecked on the reef.

Whatever it was it was beautiful.

Diamond Head is towards east Honolulu and past Waikiki Beach. This monstrous crater is an extinct volcano from 300,000 thousand years ago and is 3,520 feet in diameter with a 760 ft. summit.

This is the history of how the creation of Oahu and this crater was formed:

3 million years ago two shield volcanoes erupted. The very eroded remants of these volconoes are The Koolau Mountain Range- A Dormant Volcano on Oahu, Hawaii and the Waianae Mountain Range.
500,000 years ago the eruptions began along the Koolau rift zone and it is during this phase that the tuff cones of Oahu were formed.
300,000 years ago a huge volcanic explosion erupted from the flanks of the Koolau Mountains When the ash and particles that were flying in the air from the eruption settled it created the crater.
They pretty much settled and cemented into the rock called "tuff"and therefore, Diamond Head is also a "tuff cone".
Other tuff cones around Oahu from the same time period are Punchbowl Veteran's Cemetary and Kokohead.
Originally named Laeahi (la eh a hee) by ancient Hawaiians it meant Brow of the Tuna.
In the 1800's Laeahi was renamed by British soldiers who 'thought' that the glistening crystals in the lava rock were diamonds..and that there were diamonds in the soil.
In 1989 Hawaii was annexed by the United States and harbor responsibility was a main priority. Fort Ruger occupied the Diamond Head Crater. A whole bunch of canons (hidden from sight) were inside the crater and protected them from enemy invasion.
Then a tunnel was dug through the mountain to provide easy access into the Diamond Head Crater.

Because of storms and other rain runoff, the Diamond Head crater ridges and gullies have deepened and it is estimated that 100 feet have eroded from the summit.

Also, the erosion has been quicker from the milllions of feet that trample through the crater every year so please stay on the marked trail! The hiking trail will lead you to breathtaking views and well worth the hike!!

Stay safe, stay hydrated and enjoy!

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A Few Tidbits:

What You Didn't Know about the HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Posted by Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman HAWAII Relocations & Real Estate on 07/16/2008 07:47 PM

Comments (23)

honolulu, honolulu county, hawaii history, diamond head, hawaii information, waikiki, hawaii volcano, hawaii land preservation

Originally posted at: Hawaii Real Estate & Relocations : The History Behind DIAMOND HEAD Crater - Honolulu County- Hawaii

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23 Comments on The History Behind DIAMOND HEAD Crater - Honolulu County- Hawaii

JUL

2008

Sally, I always enjoy reading about your beautiful Island. So many facts and beliefs I never knew about. I's sure I will make it oneday!

Sally- Fabulous info and pictures....I loved the one with the "old tub" or whatever it is......added something different to a very popular photo op. Very interesting history.

Diamond Head was fabuous - we had a grat trek up when we were ther visiting y'all earlier this yer. I took some great photos (even did the trek in my reff sandals). Beautiful. Thanks for sharing more of your gorgeous island.

Jeff

Sally, nice chatting with you today. I didn't know the crater had a hiking trail in it. Next time I visit, that is something I have to check out. Thanks for another great post with so much detailed information.

Carole: You'll have loads of fun for sure! Cyndee's here...Randy and I will be meeting them Friday!

Kathy: Old Tub? Let's get a little real...there wouldn't be a tub there would there?

Sally: GREAT Localism information and the photos are beautiful--I especially love the 'ship part' or whatever it is with the gorgeous background. Your area is gorgeous and one of these days...

Debe in Charlotte

Jeff: I remember you saying you went hiking and all I cared about was if you and your beautiful wife had ....water!!!lol..thanks Jeff...how ya been?

Gary: I loved to hear your voice! Funny, once we started chatting it kept going...good thing we had things to do :) You're welcome! And don't forget...the next time you folks come ...call me!

Debe: Woohoo! And I think I like the mystery....I didn't even bother to go research it because of the ...mystery.

Sally as always an exceptional job with your Localism posts. These posts seem to be where you really shine :)

George: Thanks George...I thought so too...and you know what? It's all over the place :)

Some of the gun placements and the munitions bunker are still there. Our State Civil Defense uses the underground facility that was created for WWW1. I have been privileged to spend some time there.

Randy: A lot of stuff is still there...if you look at the second to the bottom there are military vehicles.

Very interesting history and description! Thanks for this! I lived on Oahu for 5 years and Maui for one. I climbed Diamond head a number of times - such a beautiful view! I'll be visiting my friend who does real estate appraisals in Honolulu with Real Time Appraisals, you may know him - Christian Van Dyck. I wish you the best of luck in your real estate career and all the health and peace Hawaii has to offer! Best of Life! Vern

Sally girl, yet another of your great localism posts. Love your photographs....so pretty. ;-)

I like how you put your name and date at the bottom of your pictures.

Hi Sally,

Beautiful post and all kinds of thing I didn't know about Diamond Head.

Been there many times and always loved it. I dropped my very first digital camera just outside that tunnel one time, it completely shattered. But the good news, I saved the disc with wonderful photos.

It sounds to me like people shouldn't be allowed in the area at all anymore, before there is nothing left to salvage. We all know that people can't be trusted to obey the signs that say to keep out!
What are shield volcanoes? Is it as simple as it sounds? Does a shield volcano, shield other areas from other volcanoes?

JUL

2008

Thanks Vern...appreciate you coming by!

Teri: Tired of wondering if people take my pictures lol! Better to just claim my own stuff :)

Lynda: Thanks goodness for camera cards :)

Lisa: Diamond Head is eroding from natural wear and tear...it's only when people run around going off trail that other parts start to erode faster too. And here: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/ShieldVolcano/description_shield_volcano.html

Morning Sally,

Thank you for sharing the information and beautiful pictures. Diamond Head was one of the many delightful sights we were able to take in when we visited.