The third largest Hawaiian Island, Oahu, may be dissolving into the Pacific Ocean. No, this isn’t the plot-line of the next apocalyptic film; in fact, a new study by Geologists is showing that the mountains Koolau and Waianae are gradually being reduced to nothingness. This will cause Oahu to become a completely flat body of land. The island is home to the capitol city, Honolulu.
The study has been published in the Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. It looks at the groundwater and streamwater in affected locations to get a better idea of which type of water is going to remove more mineral materials from samples.
Since the islands that make up Hawaii are made of many different types of rock, these laboratory studies allow geologists to determine various weathering rates and how they are affected by climate change- making Hawaii one of the best “natural laboratories” in the world.
Steve Nelson, A Geologist from BYU has stated that geologists are tryping to determine whether or not the dissolving of the Hawaiian Island has anything to do with climate change, as erosion is not the only cause of the gradual disappearance.
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