Pu'ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/GRD/NRR—2011/386 ON THE COVER Pu‘ukoholā Heiau at sunset with Mauna Kea in background (right) and Pelekane Bay in foreground. National Park Service photograph by Greg Cunningham. THIS PAGE Aerial View of Pu‘ukoholā Heiau and Mailekini Heiau (left) looking north towards Kawaihae Harbor and the North Kohala Coast. The gently-sloping flank of Kohala Volcano looms over the landscape. National Park Service photograph by Pierre Lesage. National Park Service photographs courtesy Greg Cunningham (Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site). Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/GRD/NRR—2011/386 National Park Service Geologic Resources Division PO Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 April 2011 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. Printed copies of this report are produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is available from the Geologic Resources Inventory website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/ gre_publications.cfm) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). Please cite this publication as: Thornberry-Ehrlich, T. 2011. Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site: geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/GRD/NRR— 2011/386. National Park Service, Ft. Collins, Colorado. NPS 454/107502, April 2011 ii NPS Geologic Resources Division Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................ iv Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... vi Credits ....................................................................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Geologic Resources Inventory ......................................................................................................... 1 Park Setting ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 Geologic Setting ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 Geologic Issues .............................................................................................................. 7 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 7 Wind Erosion and Increased Sediment Load ........................................................................................................... 7 Reestablishing Historic Landscape ............................................................................................................................ 8 Groundwater Recharge ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Anchialine Ponds ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 Geologic Hazards .................................................................................................................................................... 10 Geologic Features and Processes ................................................................................ 17 Coastal Landforms ................................................................................................................................................... 17 Submarine Habitats ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Geology and Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................................. 17 Geologic History .......................................................................................................... 21 Pre-Quaternary History of the Pacific Basin (after Condie and Sloan 1998) ........................................................ 21 Evolution of the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain .......................................................................................... 21 Overview of Geologic Data ......................................................................................... 31 Geologic Maps ......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Source Maps ............................................................................................................................................................ 31 Geologic GIS Data ................................................................................................................................................... 31 Geology data layers in the Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site GIS data .................................................... 32 Overview Graphic of Digital Geologic Data ........................................................................................................... 32 Map Unit Properties Table and Correlation Table ................................................................................................ 32 Use Constraints ........................................................................................................................................................ 32 Overview Graphic of Digital Geologic Data ............................................................... 33 Map Unit Properties Table .......................................................................................... 35 Map Unit Correlation Table ........................................................................................ 38 Glossary ........................................................................................................................ 39 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................ 43 Additional References ................................................................................................. 47 Attachment 1: Geologic Resources Inventory Products CD PUHE Geologic Resources Inventory Report iii List of Figures Figure 1. Shaded relief map of the Island of Hawai‘i ................................................................................................. 3 Figure 2. Map of Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site ......................................................................................... 4 Figure 3. Panoramic view of Pu‘ukoholā Heiau .......................................................................................................... 5 Figure 4. Aerial photomosaic of the park and surrounding geographic features .................................................... 6 Figure 5. Diagrammatic model of precipitation-fueled submarine groundwater discharge ................................. 14 Figure 6. Coastal hazard intensity map for Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site ............................................. 15 Figure 7. Bathymetry of the Hawaiian Islands .......................................................................................................... 16 Figure 8. Earthquake hazard zones for the major Hawaiian Islands ......................................................................