Are there volcanoes near oahu?
Oahu IS a volcano, or more precisely the top of two extinct volcanoes sticking out of the ocean. The Koolau range is one and Mt. Waianae near Makaha is the other. The saddle valley (the town of Mililani) between the two volcanoes is where the lava flowed and met from both sides . The entire Pacific Ocean is on top of a section of the earth moving counter-clockwise. There is a hot spot under the earth’s crust located under where the Big Island of Hawaii is now. As the earth’s crust moves, a different part of the ocean floor moves on top of the hot spot and creates new volcanoes. When the volcano has erupted enough lava, it reaches the surface of the ocean and becomes an island. After a Hawaiian island moves off of the “hot spot” (the Big Island is currently over the hot spot) the volcanoes lose their heat and magma source and slowly become extinct. There can still be small cinder cones (“mini volcanoes”) that form as the island becomes extinct. Diamond Head, Punchbowl Crater, Koko Head
