Newly Revised "Geologic map of the State of Hawaii" publication available

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

The USGS recently published a revised “Geologic Map of the State of Hawaii.” This map—originally published in 2007—has been updated to include more recent geologic deposits, including lava flows from Kīlauea’s Pu‘u‘ō‘ō vent on the middle East Rift Zone from 2007–2018 and lava flows erupted during Kīlauea’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption.

image related to volcanoes. See description — View looking east, showing the narrow lava channels from Fissures 6, 13, 20 and 22. These channel carried lava south to the ocean in May 2018. USGS photo by D. Becker.

Lava flows erupted from Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone in 2018 covered 35.5 square kilometers (14 square miles); lava flows that entered the ocean in 2018 added 875 acres of new land to the southeast coast of the Island of Hawai‘i, which is reflected in this updated map. The map update does not include changes to Kīlauea summit region during the 2018 summit collapse or the recent eruptions in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea’s summit (December 2020–May 2021 and September 29, 2021-current).

This map is available in print format and is accompanied by a USGS Data Release of geospatial datasets.

Color map of Hawaii — The USGS recently published a revised “Geologic map of the State of Hawaii (usgs.gov).” This map—originally published in 2007—has been updated to include more recent geologic deposits, including lava flows from Kīlauea’s Pu‘u‘ō‘ō vent on the middle East Rift Zone from 2007–2018 and lava flows erupted during Kīlauea’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption.

Geologic Map of the State of Hawaii Abstract:

This geologic map and its digital databases present the geology of the eight major islands of the State of Hawaiʻi. The map should serve as a useful guide to anyone studying the geologic setting and history of Hawai‘i, including ground- and surface-water resources, economic deposits, and landslide or volcanic hazards. Its presentation in digital format allows the rapid application of geologic knowledge when conducting field work; analyzing land-use or engineering problems; studying onshore or nearshore biologic communities; or simply understanding the relation between the geology, scenery, and cultural history of the Hawaiian paradise.

The map includes a Description of Map Units, which describes the lithologic characteristics and distribution of the geologic deposits. A Correlation of Map Units shows how the different geologic formations are related to each other stratigraphically. A fairly complete geospatial database of the radiometric ages and geochemical analyses has been compiled from findings published over the past 100 years by numerous Earth scientists working across the island chain.

Image: Kilauea Flow Field — Pu‘u‘ō‘ō flow field on March 12, 2010. This photo shows the area of flows that were active in March 2010; they can be identified as the lighter colored lobe in the center of the photograph that has cut through the middle of the forested area (the remains of Royal Gardens subdivision). These flows were advancing across the coastal plain; Pu‘u‘ō‘ō, active from 1983-2018, can be seen in the upper left corner of the photograph.

Suggested Citation:

Sherrod, D.R., Sinton, J.M., Watkins, S.E., and Brunt, K.M., 2021, Geologic map of the State of Hawaiʻi: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3143, pamphlet 72 p., 5 sheets, scales 1:100,000 and 1:250,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3143.

Geologic map database to accompany geologic map of the State of Hawaii Abstract:

This digital publication contains all the geologic map information used to publish U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Map Series SIM-3143 (Sherrod and others, 2020). This geologic map shows the distribution and stratigraphic relation of volcanic, intrusive, and sedimentary units emplaced in the past 8 million years across the eight principal islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, State of Hawaii, U.S.A.

Data Release Suggested Citation:

Sherrod, D.R., Robinson, J.E., Sinton, J.M., Watkins, S.E., and Brunt, K.M., 2021, Geologic map database to accompany geologic map of the State of Hawaii: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9YWXT41.