Āliamanu Crater Explained

Āliamanu Crater
Type:Tuff cone
Map:USA Hawaii
Coordinates:21.3617°N -157.915°W
Location:Salt Lake, Hawaii, United States
Parent:Hawaiian Islands
Volcanic Arc:Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain
Elevation Ft:760

Āliamanu Crater, also known as Leilono Crater[1] [2] or North Crater, is a volcanic tuff cone in the Salt Lake neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii.[3]

It has an elevation of 760 feet,[4] towering the nearby Āliapa‘akai and Makalapa craters.

History

The first geological description of Aliamanu was done by 19th century geologist James Dwight Dana.[5]

In the early 20th century, the US military constructed a military base within the crater now known as the Aliamanu Military Reserve. The area was also used for underground ammunition storage.

Geology

Āliamanu was one of the many tuff craters formed during the Honolulu Volcanics, a series of eruptions in southeastern Oahu.

Legends

The Ancient hawaiians believed the upper rim of Aliamanu crater to be the location of Leilono, a site said to contain the entrance to the otherworld (Pō).[6]

Legends also record the Hawaiian goddesses Pele and Hiʻiaka using the crater as a habitat.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hawaiian Place Names . 2023-05-05 . ulukau.org.
  2. Book: Decisions on Names in the United States . Department of the Interior . 1959.
  3. Web site: Geolex — Aliamanu publications . 2023-05-05 . ngmdb.usgs.gov.
  4. Book: Thompson, Erwin N. . Pacific Ocean Engineers History of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Pacific, 1905–1980 . U.S. Government Printing Office . 1985 . 75 . en.
  5. Pankiwskyj . Kost A. . Geology of the Salt lake Area, Oahu, Hawaii . Pacific Science . 26 . 244.
  6. Ka Makani Ho'eo o Moanalua The Ho'eo, whistling wind of Moanalua . Moanalua Ahupua'a . 44.