Haleakala

Haleakala, shield volcano, south-central Maui island, Hawaii, U.S. It is a central feature of Haleakala National Park. Haleakala has one of the world’s largest dormant volcanic craters, which was formed mainly by erosion and measures about 20 miles (30 km) in circumference. In several places the rim of the crater rises more than 2,500 feet (760 meters) above the crater floor. Haleakala was last active in the late 18th century and is the larger of the two volcanoes that form the island of Maui. The name Haleakala derives from the legend that the demigod Maui imprisoned the Sun there in order to lengthen the day.

Haleakala’s western slopes, which are crossed by intermittent rain-fed streambeds, rise gently to the summit at Red Hill, 10,023 feet (3,055 metres) high. The heavily eroded terrain of the mountain’s eastern flank has deep valleys and gorges. From the volcano’s rim, lava poured down its flanks to the sea, following the paths of the Ke‘anae and Kaupo valleys. The crater floor, covering some 19 square miles (49 square km), has a lake and areas of forest, desert, and meadow. Its northern and eastern (windward) portions receive significant rainfall and have lush vegetation and forests; its southern and western (leeward) sections, however, are arid and have varicolored conical cinder deposits up to 600 feet (180 meters) high that were formed by secondary eruptions. Trade-wind rain clouds drift in over the volcano’s low eastern rim, often accumulating in the crater’s center. This phenomenon leaves the high northern rim, Hanakauhi, above the clouds and can produce the unusual specter (known as a Brocken bow) of an observer’s greatly magnified shadow thrown on the bank of clouds.

Haleakala National Park was created as a separate entity in 1961. The 47-square-mile (122-square-km) park includes the crater, Kipahulu Valley, and the ‘Ohe‘o Gulch area on the eastern slope. Located on the crater rim is “Science City,” a research-observatory complex for astrophysical studies operated by the U.S. Department of Defense and the University of Hawaii. The Smithsonian Institution and the Federal Aviation Administration also have facilities there.