What year did the Park become an official National Park and why? On August 1, 1916, The Hawaii Volcanoes became a National Park. President Woodrow Wilson signed the country's 13th national park into existence. It became a National Park because of its huge land features such as the Mauna Loa volcano. These sites are accessible by tourists because the "Eruptions are much gentler" in this area. It is an area where people can walk on the hardened lava. Also, during volcano activity, people can actually view active lava flows.

U.S. Map HAWAII VOLCANOES NP

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Map

Topographic Map

What environmental issues are affecting the park? The volcanoes are releasing sulfur dioxide gas into the atmosphere. This gas creates fog which is called volcanic smog. The fog keeps the sunlight from getting to the plants so they can grow. This has caused dangerous pollution that is hazardous to breathe. Many of the plants that used to grow in abundance have now stopped growing. Many of the plant species only exist in Hawaii so they can face extinction. Animal habitats are being effected as well. When there are new lava flows, they continue to destroy whatever is remaining in the path of the lava. Many plants may become extinct because there are not as many as there used to be and the animals continue to eat whatever is remaining for food. Once the plants stop growing or become extinct, animals that eat the plants will eventually die because they will have no food. Hawaii is the number one state for extinctions and endangered species.

What special landforms or features are inside your park? LAVA TREESCINDER CONES PIT CRATERSVOLCANOESVOLCANIC ROCKS

How is technology used to help, preserve and maintain the park? Scientists are using computer software to be able to predict when a volcano might erupt next. They can use this information to protect humans and possibly some areas of plants. They use laser technology that can tell scientists how an area has changed over time so they can predict where the best place would be to plant new plants in an area where they predict might not be damaged by lava.

What types of rocks can be found inside the park? There are several different types of volcanic rocks that are found in the Hawaii Volcano National Park such as: Volcanic bombPicritic Basalt Pele’s Tears Pele’s tears is formed by small bits of molten Lava that soon solidifies and forms tiny glass particles called Pele’s tears. These are Igneous as well. Picritc Basalt is formed in high temperatures. It forms 2 miles underground in the Magma chamber. This rock is Igneous. Volcanic bombs are lava fragments. Most are large and round. They are usually found as 64 mm in diameter. They are Igneous rocks,

How was the park formed? (From an Earth Science Perspective) In the beginning, five shield volcanoes erupted during the Pleistocene Period allowing for the formation of the Hawaii Volcanoes in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. As the volcanoes erupted, this lava would harden eventually forming the island itself. The islands have never stopped forming and will continue to do so as long as there is volcanic activity. The island is located on the Pacific plate which is the largest tectonic plate on earth. As the plate expanded over millions of years, it has affected the growth of the islands.

How is the land inside the park currently changing? Since Kilauea and Mauna Loa are the most active volcanoes in the Park and in the world, they continue to allow for the parks to grow. The molten lava they create eventually hardens creating more land surface. As long as the volcanoes remain active, the land mass will continue to grow. The molten lava can also cause destruction creating changes in the park continuously. An area that was once covered by plant life one day can become covered with lava the following day.

Pictures and Diagrams Lava flowing into ocean Volcano Diagram Lava destroying trees Diagram of how volcanoes are formed Erupting volcano Erupting Volcano

Bibliography LINK TO BIBLIOGRAPHY WEBSITE Anderson, Genny. Hawaii: Geology, Plate Tectonics/Hot Spot. Hawaii: Geology, Plate Tectonics/Hot Spot. Genny Anderson, PICS G, Jennifer. Presentations That Inspire Presentation Software. Web. 21 Jan MAGAZINE Goldberg, Susan, ed. "Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - National Geographic." National Geographic. National Geographic, 2012 WEBSITE Hawaii The Big Island. volcanoes-national-park WEBSITE "Hawaii Volcanoes National Park." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan

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