Explanation: Large landslide blocks move and large earthquakes can occur which can result in enormous waves and the movement of mass amounts of sediment.  Recently, much attention has been paid to the instability of the Big Island and its catastrophic slides into the sea. Giant tsunami, hundreds of meters high, are visualized as lethal byproducts of these giant submarine landslides.  One scientifically controversial interpretation of some giant landslide deposits are that a giant tsunami 330 m (1,000 ft) high, triggered by a submarine landslide off the Kona coast, swept across Lana`i about 100,000 years ago.

Information from this page has come from the U.S.G.S. site

Albion College geology students and professors created these web pages as a follow-up to our March 2003 Geology 210 Regional Field Geology class trip to Hawaii.  The images, except where noted, are a product of our trip.  We make them available for non-profit, educational uses.  As a condition of use, we request that you inform the page author or Thom Wilch.  Thank You. 

Photo by: Thom Wilch