|
From a geological point of view, Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands. We are told that it was formed when the Pacific plate passed over the Hawaii hotspot about six million years ago. Because of it's volcanic origins it is not surprising that there is a lot of lava in the landscape. Kauai is in fact, the top of a volcanic mountain that grew up from the bottom of the ocean. The highest points on the island are part of the central shield volcano, which means that they were created almost entirely of liquid lava flows. For this reason, the primary portion of the island not covered by vegetation is made up of decaying lava and it is generally black or red. Over time ( a lot of time), the black lava rock breaks down into "dirt," it then oxidizes and the very high iron content turns the soil red. That red dirt of Kauai is something that everybody seems to want to talk about. Apparently it is virtually impossible to get off of you or your clothing if you are careless around dust or mud. A few entrepreneurs turned the problem into a business - the dirt shirt. A rather ugly dull red colored t-shirt that was dyed in Kauai mud. (We didn't buy one.)
|
|
|
