past

www.thebiblog.net, past, september 9, 2012

the eroded cliffs of kauai

to travel across the islands of hawaii in sequence from east to west _ hawaii, maui, oahu, kauai _ is to travel backwards in geological time. the islands, born of molten lava, formed in a linear sequence as the pacific plate slowly shifted across a stationary hotspot in the earth’s mantle. as the islands distanced themselves from this hotspot, a few inches per year, their fiery volcanic growth eventually halted, and the cooling of their masses along with the harsh winds and water of the pacific gradually tugged at their loose ends, pulling the islands back into the dark depths of the ocean. while the life cycle of the hawaiian islands is diagrammed on cartographic maps, as the islands decrease in size from southeast to northwest, it is also readily apparent visually from the silhouettes of the islands’ mountain chains. the 400,000 year old big island, which is soft and conical in mass, contrasts sharply with the 5 million year old island of kauai with its jagged gravity defying cliffs and canyons. these aesthetics have translated to the islands specializations. in stephen spielberg’s 1993 adaptation of jurassic park, they relied on the eroded mountains of kauai to convincingly transport their audience into an ancient land of dinosaurs (despite the island having technically formed millions of years after the extinction of dinosaurs). the island has hosted a number of other film shoots that have used the visual allure of these decayed mountains to project an otherworldly aesthetic. in contrast, hawaii, the newest and therefore largest and tallest of the islands, has become a center for astronomical research, with observatories perched along its elevated peaks. Its streamlined silhouette the perfect backdrop to its space-age pursuits.