Hawaii and the Pacific Islands and the Bay Area

The archipelago of Hawaiian islands are submerged volcanoes created by tectonic plates and hotspots of magma. Approximately 43 million years ago, the Pacific tectonic plate moved over a hotspot in the Pacific ocean causing magma to be released out of the crust of the earth. This caused the Hawaiian ridge to be formed and eventually the string of Hawaiian islands. Most of the islands are simply submerged volcanoes created by erupting magma cooling when it hits the ocean water. The oldest islands, Lauai and Niihau were formed 5 million years ago. The Big island is the youngest of the chain of islands. Eventually in thousands of years, Loihi Seamount, and active submarine volcano, will emerge from the sea creating another island. Plate tectonics have played a huge role in the creation of the Hawaiian islands we know today.

Similarly, plate tectonics have played an important role in California and the Bay Area's history. Millions of years of plate tectonics has created the diverse landscape of hills, valleys, and mountains of the Bay Area landscape. Although there are many faults running through the Bay Area, the most notable is the San Andreas fault. It is approximately 800 miles long and forms the boundary between the Pacific plate and North America plate. These plates leave the Bay Area susceptible to earthquakes. The most famous being the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieda earthquake.