Geology in Hawaii Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Geology in Hawaii - Assignment Example Individuals also acknowledge that mountains in Hawaii make travel difficult unless the traveler is in a car at an interstate highway. The geology of a region governs the availability of essential raw materials such as important ore minerals for metallurgy, clay for pottery, building stone (ornamentation and construction), gemstones and gold for decorative arts, as well as sand for glass making. The use of such materials is innately joined to emergent technologies and limited by their quantity, accessibility and quality. The knowledge of geology in Hawaii is defined by the practical extent of a rock or mineral resource, and aid construction of models that can predict its viability. Earthquakes occur all over Hawaii, frequently without noteworthy warning or caution. These geohazards can have extensive effects on human and on the earth’s surface. Localized, small earthquakes may cause no damage that is noticeable and may not even be felt by individuals living in the area affected . In contrast, large earthquakes may cause devastation over a wide area and be felt by individuals a hundred miles. ... When there are heavy rains, some areas of each of the Hawaii Islands are vulnerable to flash floods. Intense rain can turn a quiet, small river into a cascading one that sweeps everything that flows on its way. Lives are also lost in the flash floods every few years; mostly people are swept away in their cars or hikers. Heavy rain may come suddenly and can be difficult to forecast. Flash floods in Hawaii are much common than any other natural disaster, such as hurricanes and tsunamis. It is not long ago that heavy and serious flash floods hit the island. In October 2004, Manoa Valley on Oahu was hit by flash flood and completely soaked the University of Hawaii ground floor at Manoa Hamilton library. In addition to destroying parts of the library, the flood carried away at least 60 homes and caused a damage of almost one million dollars. A six weeks rain period in March 2006 caused flooding in many places in Hawaii. Seven people were killed when a dam on Kauai broke. The rain caused t he Waikiki septic tank system to spill over, resulting in a manure spill that polluted parts of the southern shore of the island for a number of days. On November 23, 1982, two hurricanes (Inki and Iwa) left death and devastation in their wake after passing through Hawaii. Iwa hurricane hit the Islands of Kauai, Niihau, and Oahu. The Iwa hurricane was the first to hit the Hawaii statehood since 1959. The Inki hurricane was the most powerful hurricane to hit Hawaii State in recorded history. Not only are the high winds of a cyclone or hurricane very destructive, but a phenomenon known as storm surge that comes with it causes severe flooding in coastal areas. There are a number of happening caused by volcanic