I just happened to run across Hawaii: Roots of Fire, a new PBS documentary about the hidden forces driving the planet’s largest and most active volcanic system – the one here in the Hawaiian Islands.
Here’s a clip from the documentary:
This is especially significant because geothermal energy has been so prominent in political discussions here these last few days.
According to the documentary, the lava upwelling that formed the chain of islands up to the Aleutians Islands originated from below the mantle, and maybe even from the earth’s core. This process has been going on for 75 million years.
Geothermal energy does not come from the “hot spot.” It originates in stored heat from old lava flows. So the use of geothermal energy does not interfere with Pele’s ability to make land. Lava for new land (like the new island Lo‘ihi that is forming on the bottom of the ocean right now) comes directly from the hot spot.
This next video is also worth a look. It’s a podcast that lets you tour some of the Big Island’s geologic and cultural sites.
Take a virtual tour of the Big Island of Hawaii’s unmatched volcanic features with volcano expert Dr. Donald DePaolo of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley. This tour is hosted by geologist and filmmaker Doug Prose, co-producer of Hawaii: Roots of Fire. You will visit eleven important geologic and cultural sites on the Big Island outside of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It starts in Hilo and ends at South Point. If you want to see these amazing places in person, download the map and take it with you. Allow a few days to visit every place quickly, but you could easily spend a full day at each place exploring!