Haleakala National Park By: Tara

Location of Haleakala National Park The Haleakala National Park is located on the Island of Maui,HI.

Map of Haleakala National Park Park Headquarters Haleakala Crater Area Scientific Research Reserve

How Haleakala Became A National Park Haleakala was originally part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, was later decided to be separate on July 1,1961.Haleakala National Park became an International Biosphere Reserve in Haleakala National Park was built on the island of Maui to preserve the outstanding features of Haleakala Crater. Later additions to the park gave protection to the unique and fragile ecosystems and rare species of Kipahulu Valley, the pools along ‘Obe‘o Gulch, and the coast.1961, was when Haleakala became an Official National Park.

How was Haleakala National Park Formed?  The whole Haleakala park is mostly igneous rock formed from the cooling lava from the volcanoes.  Haleakala has some different types of rocks too, examples are, andesites, with some basalts, and picrite-basalts.  Andesite, is a type of rock that is between basalt and granite. It is an igneous, volcanic rock, and the main minerals that are inside of it are plagioclase and pyroxene, or hornblend.  Picrite-basalts is also called oceanite. They are dark with yellow, green and dark brown.  Also there is a lot of pahoehoe,a form of lava flow of basaltic rock, usually dark-colored with a smooth or ropey surface. It is one of two main forms of lava flow emitted from volcanoes of the Hawaiian type.

What Types of Rocks can be found inside Haleakala National Park?  Its crater is one of the biggest and best features in Haleakala. The crater is at 10,000 feet in elevation and is the highest point in the park. The crater is one of the largest in the world at 2,720 feet deep and 19 square miles. Inside of the crater there are volcanoes.  The shield volcanoes themselves are interesting too. The shield volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian Islands are built by thousands of accumulated lava flows. Haleakala is only the third largest shield volcano in Hawaii.  Kipahulu is another special feature. It is a village in the Hana district of Maui. It has no electricity or water utilities, the water is gathered from the stream and the only outside access is the one telephone.  There is the Rainforest on the southeast side of Haleakala. This part is completely different from the dry rock of the volcanoes, it has waterfalls, pools, tropical species, and plants of all different sorts.  Haleakala has a lot of special features, and these are only a few of them.

Special Land Features in Haleakala National Park.  Lava flows and cinder cones as young as years in age are found along Haleakala's southwest and east coasts. Lava flows and cinder cones that are not much older than this were made as recently as 800 years ago.  Water weathering is happening at the shores and the cliffs at Haleakala. They are being broken down from the constant waves hitting against them.

How is the land inside Haleakala National Park changing ?  Haleakala National Park is one of the most threatened parks within the National Park System. It has more threatened and endangered species than any other national park in the U.S. The worst threat to Haleakala National Park is from alien species (such as non-native plants and animals that are not usually in Hawaii). Alien species that are threating the enviroment include Miconia, axis deer, feral cats, Western yellowjackets, and various ants.  The most effective and economical way of dealing with terrorizing aliens is to prevent their introduction. They can do this by making sure that all of the ships that transport goods to Haleakala are perfectly clean and free of species. This will be very hard, but it is the only way that they might be able to control this.  As well as this problem, the species that are being let into the park are spreading disease and killing the animals that live there. There is now more limited room and habitats for these species to go and they have less food to live off of.

What environmental issues are effecting Haleakala National Park? The other thing that is affecting Haleakala is that people there are hunting for commercial gain, and this is killing off some of the species that are actually native to the area. Both the nene, a native bird, and the silversword, native plant, are being endangered from tourists going off of the trails and touching them and various other things.

How is Technology used to help preserve and maintain Haleakala National Park?  In the Haleakala Observatory, they are building a telescope that is the largest in the world. It is used to study the solar magnetic activity and understanding astrophysics and behavior of the sun. It will also be studying how the sun affects the earth’s climate and details of the sun. The project was proposed by the NSO (national solar observatory) and the National Science Foundation and will be funded by the National Science Foundation.  At Kilauea, the daily activities of the volcano ( movement of lava flows and earthquakes) are monitored by the staff of the U.S. Geological Survey at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Bibliography "Haleakala National Park." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 24 May "Friends of Haleakala National Park - Issues." Friends of Haleakala National Park - Home. Web. 24 May "Design and Construction of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope Mount Assembly, Haleakala Observatory, Maui, Hawaii - R (Archived) - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities." Home - Federal Business Opportunities: Home. Web. 24 May Mack, Jim, and Camp Mary L. Van. Haleakala ̄ : the Story behind the Scenery. Las Vegas: KC Publications, Print. Brochure from Haleakala National Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Title- Origin of Hawaiian Volcanoes. U.S. Department of the Interior. The Origin of the Hawaiian Volcanoes. U.S. Department of the Interior, Print.