I recently read that the Hawaiian island chain is gradually moving northwest and will ultimately be a little father away than it is now.
Wow.
This is news? This is something to worry about?
Here’s what’s happening: The Pacific Plate — of which the islands are the visible part — is apparently moving at the mind-blowing pace of four centimeters a year!
So how much is that in inches (so we Americans can understand)?
A little over an inch and a half.
Yes, but it adds up over time!
The article I read said if you were born in 2000, the islands are now 37 inches further northwest — or about a yard -- from where they were. And if you were born in 1950, they are now 116 inches — or about 13 feet — from where they sat in 1950.
The article said the most worrisome aspect of these seemingly floating islands is by traveling northwest they will somehow become more vulnerable to erosion and could be completely uninhabitable someday.
Though it’s probably a “someday” most of us shouldn’t have to lose any sleep over.
Because it will take “millions of years,” according to the article, to get to that point.
Have you ever been to Hawaii? I’ve been there twice, and I think we can all agree that — if you have visited — it’s an extremely beautiful place.
But I wouldn’t want to live there.
There are eight inhabitable islands in the Hawaiian archipelago. But they are SO SMALL. When my Sweet Wife and I visited Oahu and Kauai, it struck me how tiny those islands are.
One day we rented a car and drove around the ENTIRE ISLAND of Oahu in less than a day — and that was a slow, checking-everything-out kind of drive.
I’ve never been to the BIG ISLAND of Hawaii, but I’m pretty sure it would fit inside ONE Colorado county.
And here’s the thing: Hawaii is built on a collection of volcanoes — some of which are still active and causing havoc what with their constant erupting and lava-spewing.
Because everything has to be shipped into Hawaii (except maybe pineapples and coconuts), the cost-of-living is really high. Housing, food, gasoline — virtually everything is more expensive than on the Mainland.
When we were there in 1995 we met an indigenous man who was part of the Hawaii Independence movement. He told us how the constant and increasing influx of visitors and Mainland invaders was ruining a once-pristine, almost-paradise.
Of course, that movement has so far not resulted in Hawaii seceding from the U.S. No, Uncle Sam needs Hawaii to be a strategically-positioned military base to oversee the Pacific, and Hawaii is a goldmine for tourism.
Let’s face it: Hawaii is now little more than a tropical theme park where tourists from all over the world come to spend a few days wishing they lived there before they max out their credit cards and head back to Duluth, or Tokyo, or wherever.
And now — the whole island chain is floating away — albeit pretty slowly.
Probably not the worst of Hawaii's future concerns...
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