History of Kauai: The Oldest Hawaiian Island
- Kauai, also known as the “Garden Island” is Hawaii's oldest main island. …
- Similar to the other Hawaiian Islands, Kauai was formed over a period of millions of years through volcanic activity.
What is the Hawaiian island in age order?
We'll start with the oldest.
- Kauai 5.1 million years.
- Niihau 4.9 million years.
- Oahu 2.2 to 3.4 million years.
- Molokai 1.3 to 1.9 million years.
- Lanai 1.3 million years.
- Maui 0.8 to 1.3 million years old.
- Kahoolawe 1 million years.
- Big Island 0.7 million years up to right now!
What is the most primitive Hawaiian island?
Niʻihau is one of the most untouched of all the inhabited Hawaiian islands. At 17.5 miles from Kauaʻi, Niihau is the 7th largest of the inhabited Hawaiian islands. Today, there are only about 130 or so people living on the island where they still speak their own dialect of the Hawaiian language.
Why is Kauai older than Maui?
Explanation: You can answer that question yourself with the information that the Pacific Tectonic Plate is slowly moving to the North-West and the hotspot that creates the volcanos under the Hawaiian Islands is stationary. This is why the younger Hawaiian Islands are to the South-East of the older Hawaiian Islands.
Which Hawaiian island is older?
What are the two oldest Hawaiian Islands?
Niihau, the oldest of the Main Hawaiian islands along with Kauai, is also the second smallest, at 182 sq. km, and the smallest inhabited Hawaiian island.
Which is the youngest Hawaii island?
the Big Island of HawaiiThe higher the ratio, the older the rock. These measurements showed that the Big Island of Hawaii, at the southeastern end of the archipelago, is the youngest of the chain, with an estimated age of less than half a million years (Panel 1).
Which is older Kauai or Oahu?
Its land area is 67.6 square miles. Geologically, Kauai is the oldest of Hawaii's major islands and the site of the first Hawaii landing by Captain James Cook in 1778.
What is Hawaii’s youngest island?
the Big Island of HawaiiThe higher the ratio, the older the rock. These measurements showed that the Big Island of Hawaii, at the southeastern end of the archipelago, is the youngest of the chain, with an estimated age of less than half a million years (Panel 1).