Images of Old Hawaiʻi

  • Home
  • About
  • Categories
    • Ali’i / Chiefs / Governance
    • American Protestant Mission
    • Buildings
    • Collections
    • Economy
    • Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings
    • General
    • Hawaiian Traditions
    • Other Summaries
    • Mayflower Summaries
    • Mayflower Full Summaries
    • Military
    • Place Names
    • Prominent People
    • Schools
    • Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks
    • Voyage of the Thaddeus
  • Collections
  • Contact
  • Follow
You are here: Home / General / Kazumura Cave

September 10, 2015 by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Kazumura Cave

The ʻAilaʻau eruption is considered the longest memorable eruption of Kilauea.

(Before Pele, there was ʻAilaʻau (Ai means the ‘one who eats or devours.’ Laʻau means ‘tree’ or a ‘forest.’) ʻAilaʻau was, therefore, the fire-god devouring forests. When Pele came, she took over as fire goddess, ʻAilaʻau left.) (Westervelt)

The ʻAilaʻau eruption took place from a vent area just east of Kilauea Iki. The eruption built a broad shield. The eastern part of Kilauea Iki Crater slices through part of the shield, and red cinder and lava flows near the center of the shield can be seen on the northeastern wall of the crater.

The eruption probably lasted about 50-years, from about 1420 to 1470 AD. The large volume of lava covered a huge area, about 166 square miles (106,240-acres) – larger than the Island of Lanaʻi (140-square miles.)

Lava covered all, or most, of what are now Mauna Loa Estates, Royal Hawaiian Estates, Hawaiian Orchid Island Estates, Fern Forest Vacation Estates, Eden Rock Estates, Crescent Acres, Hawaiian Acres, Orchid Land Estates, ʻAinaloa, Hawaiian Paradise Park and Hawaiian Beaches.

The pahoehoe flows did leave rather large kipuka south of Keaʻau and in the forest southwest of ʻAinaloa, as well as small kipuka in Hawaiian Paradise Park and elsewhere.

This eruption and lava flow may be described in the Pele-Hiʻiaka chant. Hiʻiaka, late on returning to Kilauea from Kauai with Lohiau, sees that Pele has broken her promise and set afire Hiʻiaka’s treasured ʻohiʻa lehua forest in Puna.

Hiʻiaka is furious, and this leads to her love-making with Lohiau, his subsequent death at the hands of Pele, and Hiʻiaka’s frantic digging to recover the body.

The ʻAilaʻau flows seem to be the most likely candidate to have covered so much of Puna that they were worthy of commemoration in the chant.

The timing seems right, too – after the Pele clan arrived from Kahiki, before the caldera formed (Hiʻiaka’s frantic digging may record this), and before the encounters with Kamapuaʻa, some of which probably deal with explosive eruptions between about 1500 and 1790. (USGS)

Reminders of past eruptions are lava tubes. Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow. Tubes form by the crusting over of lava channels and pāhoehoe flows.

When the supply of lava stops at the end of an eruption or lava is diverted elsewhere, lava in the tube system drains downslope and leaves partially empty conduits beneath the ground. (USGS)

One such, as a result of the ʻAilaʻau eruption, is Kazumura Cave – it has been called the longest (over 40-miles) and (to some) deepest lava tube in the world and the deepest cave in the US. (Cultural Surveys)

According the Hawaiian Government Surveyors in 1891 (related to ‘The New Puna Road:’) “An interesting feature of this locality is the large number of lava caverns and long subterranean passages abounding upon it, especially between the 9th and 11th miles, in fact this whole tract is so thoroughly penetrated by caverns that hollow sounds are often heard beneath ones footsteps when traversing the region.”

“These subterranean passages are generally entered through some opening made by the falling in of the roof and prove to be regular arched ways, ranging as much as 25 feet in width and 15 feet high and extending for long distances.”

“The floors have that corrugated ropy appearance such as are seen on any viscid mass if drawn out as it hardens. The roofs and sides are covered with stalactites, the whole producing a wonderful effect when lit up.”

“These caverns evidently served as burial places in ancient and comparatively modern times in view of the fact that the benches here and there were covered in human remains.” (Cultural Surveys)

“Its average inclination was found to be 1.75 degrees, less in its lower section and considerably more in the upper sections. Passage cross-sections also were found to be different in the different areas.”

“While considerable local variation exists, its lower end tends to be wide and comparatively low while the upper section tends to be high and narrow. Locally, slip slopes and cut banks were found at sharp bends. Lavafalls up to about 15 m are numerous, especially in the upper sections.” (Halliday)

I have asked everyone who I thought should know who Kazumura was (the apparent namesake of the cave/lava tube.) Any insight into who Kazumura was is appreciated.

Follow Peter T Young on Facebook 

Follow Peter T Young on Google+ 

Follow Peter T Young on LinkedIn  

Follow Peter T Young on Blogger

© 2015 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Kazumura-Cave-Hara
Kazumura-Cave-Hara
Kazumura-Cave-Carey
Kazumura-Cave-Carey
Kazumura_Cave-Olaa
Kazumura_Cave-Olaa
Kazumura_Cave-Hara
Kazumura_Cave-Hara
Kazumura_Cave-Carey
Kazumura_Cave-Carey
Kazumura_Cave
Kazumura_Cave
Kazumura Cave-Olaa Red Falls
Kazumura Cave-Olaa Red Falls
Kazumura Cave-Olaa Pig Drop
Kazumura Cave-Olaa Pig Drop
Kazumura Cave-Olaa First Drop
Kazumura Cave-Olaa First Drop
Kazumura Cave-Olaa Collapsed Lava
Kazumura Cave-Olaa Collapsed Lava
Kazumura Cave-Hara
Kazumura Cave-Hara
Kazumura Cave
Kazumura Cave
Kazumura Cave map-CulturalSurveys
Kazumura Cave map-CulturalSurveys
Kazumura Cave map-Allred
Kazumura Cave map-Allred
Kazumura Cave map
Kazumura Cave map
Ailaau_map-USGS
Ailaau_map-USGS

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: General, Place Names Tagged With: Hawaii, Hawaii Island, Puna, Kazumura Cave, Lava Tube

Comments

  1. Patricia Godfrey says

    October 19, 2015 at 12:20 am

    I missed this when it came out. What amazing pictures! What a cave!

    Reply
  2. Robert says

    October 29, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    According to a local guide we spoke with lava tunes are typically named after the owner of the land on which it is found. The Kazumura family at one time owned most of the Puna district. When they broke up their property and sold it numerous communities were formed such as fern acres and hawaiian acres among others were created. So the Kazumura tubes are named after the Kazamura family.

    Reply

Leave your comment here:Cancel reply

Images of Old Hawaiʻi

People, places, and events in Hawaiʻi’s past come alive through text and media in “Images of Old Hawaiʻi.” These posts are informal historic summaries presented for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

Info@Hookuleana.com

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Lanai City Schools
  • Happy Mother’s Day!
  • 250 Years Ago … Green Mountain Boys
  • Rock Silo to Bell Tower
  • Mourning Kamehameha’s Death
  • Kawaihae Harbor
  • Education in Hawaiʻi

Categories

  • General
  • Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance
  • Buildings
  • Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings
  • Hawaiian Traditions
  • Military
  • Place Names
  • Prominent People
  • Schools
  • Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks
  • Economy
  • Voyage of the Thaddeus
  • Mayflower Summaries
  • American Revolution

Tags

Albatross Al Capone Ane Keohokalole Archibald Campbell Bernice Pauahi Bishop Charles Reed Bishop Downtown Honolulu Eruption Founder's Day George Patton Great Wall of Kuakini Green Sea Turtle Hawaii Hawaii Island Hermes Hilo Holoikauaua Honolulu Isaac Davis James Robinson Kamae Kamaeokalani Kamanawa Kameeiamoku Kamehameha Schools Lalani Village Lava Flow Lelia Byrd Liliuokalani Mao Math Mauna Loa Midway Monk Seal Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Oahu Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Pearl Pualani Mossman Queen Liliuokalani Thomas Jaggar Volcano Waikiki Wake Wisdom

Hoʻokuleana LLC

Hoʻokuleana LLC is a Planning and Consulting firm assisting property owners with Land Use Planning efforts, including Environmental Review, Entitlement Process, Permitting, Community Outreach, etc. We are uniquely positioned to assist you in a variety of needs.

Info@Hookuleana.com

Copyright © 2012-2024 Peter T Young, Hoʻokuleana LLC

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d