Rising Tide Images
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Exiting from the Wilson Tunnel on the windward side of Oahu provides a sunrise view of the spectacular Ko’olau pali. The steep cliff (pali) may be a portion of the interior west wall of the Ko’olau volcano caldera and rift zone or subsequent erosion. The Ko’olaupoko was formed during a massive landslide when the seaward side of the Ko’olau caldera sloughed off into the Pacific Ocean about a million years ago. The fluted columns of the cliff face were carved by subsequent stream erosion from the nearly constant presence of orographic cumulus that cap the mountain and resulting relief precipitation that dissects the basalt, irrigates the dense rainforest, and recharges the aquifer. The cliffs in this area rise to 2,700+ feet.
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Exiting from the Wilson Tunnel on the windward side of Oahu provides a sunrise view of the spectacular Ko’olau pali. The steep cliff (pali) may be a portion of the interior west wall of the Ko’olau volcano caldera and rift zone or subsequent erosion. The Ko’olaupoko was formed during a massive landslide when the seaward side of the Ko’olau caldera sloughed off into the Pacific Ocean about a million years ago. The fluted columns of the cliff face were carved by subsequent stream erosion from the nearly constant presence of orographic cumulus that cap the mountain and resulting relief precipitation that dissects the basalt, irrigates the dense rainforest, and recharges the aquifer. The cliffs in this area rise to 2,700+ feet.