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Postcard view of Diamond Head, Hawaii

Explore#317

 

This beautiful sight was captured when my plane took off from Honolulu International airport (HNL) on the way to the "Big Island".

 

This broad, saucer-shaped crater was formed about 300,000 years ago during a single, explosive eruption that sent ash and fine particles in the air. As these materials settled, they cemented together into a rock called tuff, creating the crater.

 

The trail to the summit was built in 1908 as part of O'ahu's coastal defense system. The 0.8 mile hike from trailhead to the summit is steep and strenuous. Built on the summit, the station directed artillery fire from batteries in Waikiki and Fort Ruger outside Diamond Head crater. At the summit, you can see bunkers and a huge navigational lighthouse built in 1917.

 

Source: www.hawaiistateparks.org

 

January 2 2010, Over the Pacific. This view from here.

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Uploaded on March 26, 2010
Taken on January 2, 2010