Mauna Kea, Sacred Volcano

On the Big Island of Hawai’i, there is an enormous shield volcano named Mauna Kea. It is the tallest mountain on Earth, measured from its base on the bed of the Pacific Ocean. From sea level, it is 4,207 meters high, higher than even Mt. Fuji. Despite being in a tropical region, it has a snow cap in the winter months.

Sometime between 300 and 800 A.D. voyagers crossed the Pacific Ocean in double-hulled canoes to make new homes in the Hawaiian Islands. To these Native Hawaiians, Mauna Kea became a sacred site, a physical form of the gods.

Mauna Kea was dormant then and it has not erupted for 4,000 years. It remains sacred to the Hawaiians, but it is also important to scientists, who have placed a cluster of enormous telescopes on the summit. Because of its high elevation, dry environment, stable airflow, and distance from city lights and pollution, it is ideal for observing the universe with high-powered telescopes. But scientists and Native Hawaiians disagree about who can access the mountain and how it can be used.

Next to this mountain is Mauna Loa, which is only 38 meters lower than Mauna Kea. Mauna Loa is still active and last erupted in 1984. Down the slope of Mauna Loa near the ocean is another volcano named Kilauea, which most recently erupted in 2018 and 2021 causing destruction of housing along the island’s southeast shore. Two dozen lava vents spewed lava high into the air, causing residents to quickly escape their homes. Lava also streamed down to the coast, increasing the land area of the island.

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