Kauai

One of the things that the island of Kauai is famous for, is its very vibrant (and somewhat annoying - if you get it on your clothes) deep red dirt. One popular application of the dirt is its use in dyeing t-shirts, the most well known of which are Dirt Shirts.

Image credit: Richard Puzio on SmugMug.

What causes Kauai’s dirt to be so red? Since Kauai is one of the oldest Hawaiian Islands, the high iron content of the volcanic soils has had plenty of time to oxidize, especially with the wet conditions of the island (Kauai is home to one of the wettest places on the planet).

I’ll admit that for the most part, my choices for the geology picture of the (almost every-) day have no rhyme or reason. However, today’s picture is actually relevant in my opinion. It’s a beautiful picture of Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai. And why is this relevant? I will be flying to Kauai tomorrow for a vacation with the family.

Image Credit: SparkyLeigh on flickr.

I found a nice little website about the geology of Kauai, along with a cross section and a geologic map, located here. A simple description of the canyon is also available here.

Waimea Canyon is the largest canyon in the Pacific and truly a dramatic sight to behold. The canyon measures 10 miles long, 1 mile wide, and more than 3,500-feet deep. It was carved thousands of years ago by rivers and floods that flowed from Mount Waialeale’s summit. The lines in the canyon walls depict different volcanic eruptions and lava flows that have occurred over the centuries. Even though smaller than the Grand Canyon of Arizona, Waimea Canyon rivals the beauty.