Diamond Head

Diamond Head

Diamond Head
Diamond Head is the name of an extinct volcano on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.  The name comes from British sailors during the 19th century, who confused the crystals of calcite embedded in the rock with diamonds.  It is found in the east coast of Waikiki
Aerial View of Waikiki (in Honolulu). 

Geology

Diamond Head forms part of a complex of cones, vents and lava flows
Flowing Lava  The "Honolulu Volcanic Series" is an assembly of volcanic eruptions that created many of the best-known places of Oahu, like the Punchbowl Crater, Hanauma Bay
Hanauma Bay , Koko Head and Manana Island, including Diamond Head.   

Diamond Head, just like the other volcanic remainders of Honolulu
Iolani Palace , is a lot younger than the main mass of the Koolau Mountain Range.  While the mountain range has an antiquity of 2.6 million years, it’s calculated that Diamond Head has approximately 200,000 years. 

Some scientists consider that the eruption that caused Diamond Head was probably short term, and lasted just a few days.  It was also probably powerful, since, according to when the cone was formed primarily, the sea level was greater and the eruption left an opening to a coral reef.  Another factor that perhaps contributed to the explosive nature of the eruption was that the magma, upon leaving, would have entered contact with the water table.  The relative brevity of the eruption would explain the symmetry of the cone nowadays. 

Another nearby eruption that was produced approximately in the same epoch of Diamond Head was the one that created the volcanic shield of Black Point.  Geologists do not believe that Diamond Head had entered in eruption again, since the class of eruptions which created them is not from the same time. 

Tourism and popularity

Diamond Head is a place of so much acquaintance by the locals as by the tourists of Waikiki.  The volcanic cone is also a state monument of the United States.  Its proximity to the hotel complexes and the beaches of the city do make this place a popular destination for those who travel there.  One is able to travel on foot to the edge of the crater, where there is a breathtaking view and detail of the city of Waikiki
International Marketplace and of the peaceful Pacific Ocean. 

> back to Top
> back to the Information Guide