Haleakala National Park The Haleakala National Park is located on the Island of Maui. Map Of Hawaii

Map of Haleakala Park Headquarters

How Haleakala Became A National Park Haleakala was originally part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, was re-designated as a separate entity on July 1,1961.Haleakala National Park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980.  Haleakala National Park was established 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 biotic species of Kipahulu Valley, the scenic pools along ‘Obe‘o Gulch, and the coast.,1961 was when Haleakala became an Official National Park.

How was Haleakala 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 though, examples are, andesites, with some basalts, and picrite-basalts rich in big crystals of olivine and augite. Andesite, is a type of rock that is between basalt and granite. It is an igneous, volcanic rock, and the major minerals that are inside of it are plagioclase and pyroxene, or hornblend. Picrite-basalts is also called oceanite. They are dark with yellow and green olivine phenocrysts and dark brown to black pyroxene. 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 chief forms of lava flow emitted from volcanoes of the Hawaiian type, the other form being aa.

What Types of Rocks can be found inside Haleakala? 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 cinder cone 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. Lastly 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.