The Hawaiian Islands which we all know for being created by violent volcanic activity, are little did we know also created by a series of mass wasting events causing the expansion of the islands. Mass wasting is a downslope movement of angular slope material, gravity is a key aspect of mass wasting. Landslides, topples, falls, and flows are all examples of different types of mass wasting. The Hawaiian Islands are a prime example of how mass wasting can form and expand a whole island just by colluvium gathering up at the base and just stacking up.
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| This is a photo of debris from the rather large landslides off of Oahu and Molokai. The debris stretchs hundreds of kilometers into the Pacific. http://www.mbari.org/volcanism/Hawaii/HR-Landslides.htm
Though
Kona has many landslides on the north and south sides of it Oahu has many as
well. Oahu has experienced many debris flows and slides due to heavy storm,
rainfall, and moist soil. This is a photo was taken of Tripler Ridge trail and you can clearly
see the flow on the side of this mountain/hill. The debris flow made a
rotational slump that scooped the material out of the side of this mountain and
left colluvium at the base of the hill. This flow fortunately did not injure
any civilians or destroy any property because no developments are located
around it.
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| This is an example of just what a Oahu landslide looks like. Notice the debris and the rather large hole left in the mountain. This was caused primarily by mass wasting. http://punynari.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/tripler-ridge-105.jpg?w=640
In 1994, Laupahoehoe, Hawaii experienced a giant landslide on the side of a cliff that left a house literally hanging off the edge (refer to video). This slide left enormous amounts of colluvium at the bottom of the cliff, which was in a body of water.
Overall mass wasting is a big geographical component in the Hawaiian Islands. Each part of mass wasting (topples, falls, slides and flows) can be represented on atl east one of the Hawaiian Islands. With this widespread mass wasting going on in Hawaii, many citizens and cities fear for safety. Landslide events like the one in the video above, in Laupahoehoe, Hawaii, can be very dangerous if you're in its path. Landslides are caused by six factors, climate, wind, decay, water, seismic activity, and slope. Citizens around the world have taken steps to better protect themselves from these events Mother Nature throws at us.
Works Cited:
Allen, Casey. Notes. 23 Feb. 2013.
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