GG104 Volcanoes in the Sea
This is an introductory
Geology & Geophysics course that looks at the interplay between Geology
& Geophysics, and Pacific peoples, both past and present. We cover small things such as the stone
implements Pacific Islanders made, how they made them, and how the geological
and physical properties of certain types of stone made them better or worse for
particular implements. We cover big
things, such as how the geology, topography, spacing, and position in the
Pacific have affected the societies that developed there prior to Western
contact. Finally, we cover the geologic
aspects of living on Pacific islands today, including how we should preserve
the (very) finite resources, the effects of rising sea level, tsunami, volcanic
eruptions, etc.
We go on field trips to
Wai‘anae (to gather pōhaku for the final project and to figure out where
the old caldera was via geological relationships), SE O‘ahu (to look at
rejuvenation-stage volcanism and the results of erosion and giant avalanches),
the North Shore (to study the effects of sea level changes), and Lē‘ahi
(to make a simple geologic map), and we also take a 2-day trip to Kīlauea
(to see young and sometimes active(!) volcanism).
The final project is to
produce a stone implement using only traditional techniques “stone on stone”,
as they say.
There is no one text that
works perfectly for this course, so readings are assigned from a wide variety
of books, journal articles, and web pages.
Guest speakers add their expertise and interesting perspectives. The course carries a Hawaiian, Asian, and
Pacific Focus designation (H-focus),
and it is offered in odd-numbered Fall semesters.
EXAM STUDY GUIDES
PHOTOS FROM FIELD TRIPS
SE O‘ahu: 2007
Lē‘ahi: 2009
PHOTOS OF STONE IMPLEMENTS
2005 (GG103), 2007, 2009