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Tiffany Pestana
Diamond Head
Geology 101

My reason for Choosing Diamond Head:
The reason why I choose Diamond Head is because it is a famous Hawaiian land mark. As a child I used
hike the trail with my mom and little brother. I remember this place as having a beautiful view of the Pacific
Ocean.

History of Diamond Head:
The natives originally called Diamond Head, Laeahi, meaning the brow of the tuna (hawaiiweb.com). Long
before Hawaii became a state, the sailors used who docked in Hawaii thought that the glistening rocks were
diamond, and from then on it was coined Diamond Head. During World War II Diamond Head Crater
severed as a military defensive center. It was thought to be a good defensive point because there was no
entrance or exit.

Location of Diamond Head:
Diamond Head is located on the south-east coast of Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. Hawaii is located in the middle
of the Pacific Ocean in a tropical climate area.

My observations:
As I walked up the path to the top of the hill I first noticed the ground. The walk way in some areas seemed
to be surrounded by white gravel. The hill side was so steep that it seemed I had to zigzag to the top. At two
separate points it was so steep that I had to walk up flights of stairs through an uncut tunnel. The plant life
seemed to be wilted or the kind of plants that do not require much water. At the top of the hike I could see
the islands south shore until what I think was the west side. Directly below Diamond Head I could see the
different shades in the water, of light blue, green and dark blue. There were also a lot of surfers in the water.
Although Diamond Head is very high, the mountains that surround it seem to be higher. It is also located at
the tip of the island.

On Diamond Head road at the bottom of the hill between Waikiki and the lighthouse there are layers of sand
underlying the Diamond Head tuff. How would you describe the structure of the sand? Why is the sand below
the tuff? The rock wall looks like pumice and is jagged. It is a light cream color to tan, which almost has a
stair like shelf. The sand seems to be a think grain, with large chunks of multi colored sand. At some points
the hill which separated the beach from Diamond Head was just rock and dirt, with a little vegetation.

Conclusions:
1. Diamond Head is an inactive volcano that has been dormant for thousands of years.

Evidence: There weren’t any recent eruptions, and there is erosion occurring in the volcano and on the outer
edges.

2. There was an unknown mineral made.

Evidence: The old sailors saw sparkling rocks from a distance and called it DH, and there was crystal like
rock on the sides of the pathway.

3. The wind blew on one side of the old volcano.

Evidence: Erosion takes place with wind, and water. Only one side of DH is eroded, there must be some
kind of variable to make it erode faster on the east side of the crater.

4. DH was originally a cinder cone.

Evidence: DH is smaller than its surrounding mountains. DH is steep unlike the flat slopes of the shield
volcanoes like on the Big Island. It could have possibly blown it’s top and eroded that way.
This is a characteristic cinder cone.

5. Diamond Head eroded on the beach side due to the ocean and sediments are mixed with sand.

Evidence: DH is a cinder cone and eroded fast. Because it was near the shore and eroded, the sediments fall
or blow, mixing with the sand on the beach below. More evidence of DH’s erosion is the multi colored water
below. The water shades represent the different depths in the water and the coral reef. Coral reefs come from
the eroding shelf.

6. DH is mass wasting.

Evidence: DH looks like a shelf on the ocean side and it is topped with dirt and rock debri. The ground seems
to be moving at different directions because of the whole stair case look in the ground.