Quaternary stratigraphy and chronology of Mauna Kea, Hawaii; a 380,000-yr record of mid-Pacific volcanism and ice-cap glaciation
Quaternary stratigraphy and chronology of Mauna Kea, Hawaii; a 380,000-yr record of mid-Pacific volcanism and ice-cap glaciation
Geological Society of America Bulletin (July 1979) 90 (7): 609-611, 980-1093
- absolute age
- age
- C-14
- carbon
- Cenozoic
- chronostratigraphy
- clastic sediments
- dates
- drift
- East Pacific Ocean Islands
- eruptions
- extent
- geochronology
- glacial geology
- glaciation
- Hawaii
- Hawaii County Hawaii
- Hawaii Island
- ice caps
- igneous rocks
- isotopes
- K/Ar
- lava
- lava flows
- lithostratigraphy
- Mauna Kea
- Oceania
- Polynesia
- Quaternary
- radioactive isotopes
- sediments
- stratigraphic units
- stratigraphy
- United States
- upper Quaternary
- volcanic rocks
- volcanism
- volcanoes
- volcanology
Mauna Kea, the highest of five massive shield volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii, is the only summit in the tropical mid-Pacific that is known to possess evidence of former glaciation. As a result of earlier geologic studies on the upper slopes of the volcano by Gregory and Wentworth (1937), Wentworth and Powers (1941), Stearns (1945), and Stearns and Macdonald (1946), contrasting hypotheses were developed regarding the number of former glaciations and their ages. The present study was begun with the aim of developing a detailed stratigraphy and chronology for the volcano in order to assess the question of multiple glaciation. The identification of four glacial drifts that are interstratified with volcanic rocks on the upper slopes of the mountain has confirmed the concept of multiple glacial events and has made it possible to subdivide the upper portion of the volcanic pile. The ages of the older units have been established by K/Ar dating, while 14C dates provide limiting ages for the latest glacial and volcanic events.