Day 2: A Day at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park by Katie Merk

July 22nd, 2019

A Day at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
by Katie Merk


Aloha!

Today we learned about Earth’s Subsystems, the atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, all of which are interconnected and are in a dependent relationship with each other. If one of these parts were to be changed, one or more other parts would also be affected. This cause and effect relationship between systems was explained and then applied as we went to experience the volcanic changes first hand.

Students hiking across newly formed land
from the 2018 eruption.
At Isaac Hale, a volcanic state beach, we hiked the newest land formed due to the 2018 volcanic eruption. We saw beautiful views and many holes where the lava came from just eight months before. We sat on the beach for a bit and appreciated its beauty which I found to be extremely relaxing, as I can sit at the beach all day, listening to the waves, feeling the wind, and smelling the salty air. Judy Weitz, our guide for the day and local Hawaiian, taught us about Maui, the God who pulled the sun down near Haleakala as well various other extraordinary feats. She then went on to explain how volcanoes are the reason life exists. This really stuck with me because I never put into perspective how our earth was created. Judy explained how volcanoes brought up water because there is water in the center of the earth and their eruptions brought us water, which is essential to life. Volcanoes also created the islands that we are standing on due to molten lava hardening and plate tectonics shifting. The process of life is greatly impacted by volcanoes, something I never thought about before her explanation of how essential and amazing they really are. 







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