Volcanoes in the Sea

Here is the most up-to-date and complete treatment of the geological processes that have formed, and are still forming, the Hawaiian island chain. This book is not a highly technical treatise. Rather, it is intended primarily for persons with little or no previous training in geology. Its language is nontechnical, but its coverage is as thorough and as detailed as is possible in a general survey. Therefore, it will be of use to geologists as well as of interest to laymen.

Emphasis is placed on the process of volcanism, as the islands were created by under-sea volcanoes. An active volcano is still adding acreage to the island of Hawaii; an eruption in the summer of 1969 sent a flow of lava to the sea, thus extending the land. Nearly all the geological processes known on earth have operated to some extent in Hawaii. Detailed here are not only the dramatic effects of volcanic eruptions, but the more gradual influences of wind, rain, and sea which have eroded mountains and valleys and carved bays to create the topographical variety of the islands.

Included in this volume are numerous drawings, maps, and photographs which illustrate and illuminate the text. For those who wish to explore the subject of Hawaiian geology still further, lists of suggested additional reading have been added to each chapter and an extensive bibliography is given at the end of the book.