Studying Hawaii’s Evolution

Students are spending three weeks in the “Aloha State” through distinctive interim-session course

Twenty-four students are spending their winter break in the warm sunshine during The Geologic Evolution of the Hawaiian Islands interim-abroad course. The three-week course is being taught by Lawrence Malinconico, associate professor of geology and environmental geosciences, and Dru Germanoski, Van Artsdalen Professor and head of geology and environmental geosciences

The course provides students with an understanding of how volcanic processes, geomorphic processes, and coastal processes have shaped, and continue to shape, the Hawaiian Islands. The course focuses on volcanism, landform development, and coastal processes. The Hawaiian Islands provide a unique opportunity to study active volcanic processes building the islands in conjunction with geomorphic processes which alter the volcanic landscape. The Hawaiian landscape ranges in age from 25 million years to minutes old. Students have the unique opportunity to study the volcanic processes creating the islands and then see how the soils, landscapes, and coasts have evolved through time. In addition, the influence of climatic variation on vegetation and landscapes is dramatically demonstrated.

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