One of the most spectacular things about the Hawaiian Islands is the
perspective of time that one gains after visiting more than one of them.
The contrast is especially marked between the Big Island (the youngest of the
islands) and Kauai (the second oldest of the SE Hawaiian Chain). In geology
classes we listen to profs drone on and on about the immensity of the geologic
timescale ... yea sure, sure ..., but the point really hits home when you see
these islands and are forced to confront the fact that streams (usually no bigger
than 10ft wide due to the relatively small drainage baisins) carved a canyon
1500ft deep. What's more is that the time required for this to take place
(1.2 million yrs), is still peanuts compared to, say, the age of the Earth (
4.6 billion yrs), or even the age of chordate life on Earth (500 million years).
Enjoy the pictures.
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