Then there is much more going on with these volcanic vents than I realized before. So, this likely means that Midway Island was the first island built by the Hawaiian Volcanic Vents and now the Big Island of Hawaii is still being added to as I am writing this.
So, how big could the Big Island Get over time? I'm not sure there is any limitation at all to the size that the Big Island could get to from these volcanic vents. The way it can go all the way to Midway Island is the tectonic plates move slowly northwards during these times over the last 70 million years or so which is how Midway Island can be so far north. So, that also means that Kauai was built before Oahu, and Oahu was built before Molakai and Maui and all the rest and then finally the Big Island of Hawaii was and is still being built today. And I think that Haleakala Crater on Maui is dormant now and no longer a danger to people living on the Islands and just the southern tip of the big island is where all the action is now and into the future as the tectonic plates slowly keep moving northwards.
begin quotes:
- Formation started: The volcanic "hot spot" that builds the islands has been active for approximately 70 million years, creating the chain of volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain.
- Oldest features: The oldest volcanoes in the chain are found at the northern end, with the oldest dated volcano being about 81 million years old.
- Age of main islands: The youngest of the main islands, the island of Hawaiʻi, is geologically the youngest, while Kauaʻi is the oldest of the main islands, with volcanism ending around 3.8 million years ago.
- Plate movement: The islands are formed as the Pacific Plate moves northwest over the stationary hot spot, causing new volcanoes to form over the hotspot and existing ones to be carried away, becoming older and eventually sinking below sea level.
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