Diamond Head
Elevation	762 ft (232 m)
Location	Hawaiʻi, USA
Range	Hawaiian Islands
Coordinates	21°15′35.0″N 157°48′42.3″W / 21.25972°N 157.81175°W / 21.25972; -157.81175
Topo map	USGS Honolulu
Type	Volcanic cone
Age of rock	200,000 years
Easiest route	Trail

Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēʻahi, most likely from lae 'browridge, promontory' plus ʻahi 'tuna' because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna's dorsal fin.^[1] Its English name was given by British sailors in the 19th century, who mistook calcite crystals embedded in the rock for diamonds.

[edit] Geology

View of Diamond Head from above.

Diamond Head is part of the complex of cones, vents, and their associated eruption flows that are collectively known to geologists as the Honolulu Volcanic Series, eruptions from the Koʻolau Volcano that took place long after the volcano formed and had gone dormant. The Honolulu Volcanic Series is a series of volcanic eruption events that created many of Oʻahu's well-known landmarks, including Punchbowl Crater, Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, and Manana Island in addition to Diamond Head.

Diamond Head, like the rest of the Honolulu Volcanics, is much younger than the main mass of the Koʻolau Mountain Range. While the Koʻolau Range is about 2.6 million years old, Diamond Head is estimated to be about 200,000 years old and extinct for 150,000 years.

Diamond Head, Punchbowl Crater and Honolulu from Na Pueo park

The eruption that built up Diamond Head was probably very brief, lasting no more than a few days. It was probably explosive, since when the cinder cone was originally formed, the sea level is thought to have been higher and the vent burst erupted over a coral reef. Another factor probably contributing to the eruption's explosive nature was that rising magma would have come into contact with the water table. The eruption's relatively brief length is thought to explain why the cone today is so symmetrical.

A nearby eruption that took place at about the same time as the Diamond Head eruption was the eruption that built the Black Point lava shield. Since the type of eruptions that built Diamond Head tend to be monogenetic, geologists don't believe Diamond Head will erupt again.

[edit] Tourism and fame

A panoramic view from the rim, showing the inside of the cone, the Honolulu district of Hawaiʻi Kai, and the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Diamond Head is a defining feature of the view known to residents and tourists of Waikīkī alike. The volcanic cinder cone is a United States State Monument. While part of it serves as a platform for antennas used by the U.S. government and is closed to the public, the crater's proximity to Honolulu's resort hotels and beaches makes the rest of it a popular destination.

A 0.75 mile (1.1 km) hike leads to the edge of the crater's rim. Signs at the trailhead say that the hike takes 1.5-2 hours round-trip, and recommends that hikers bring water and flashlights. Although not difficult, the signs also say that the hike is not a casual one: the mostly unpaved trail winds over uneven rock, ascends 74 steps, then through a tunnel and up another steep 99 steps. Next is a small tunnel (hence the flashlight) to a narrow spiral staircase (about 30 steps) inside a coastal artillery observation platform built in 1908. From the summit above the observation platform both Waikīkī and the Pacific Ocean can be seen in detail.

As a symbol of worldwide recognition for the Hawaiian Islands, it is not surprising that the name Diamond Head is widely used for commercial purposes (see Diamond Head (film) and Diamond Head (band)). Many souvenirs from Hawaii and surf shop logos across the globe bear the volcano's distinctive silhouette.

[edit] Interior

The interior was the home to Fort Ruger, the first United States military reservation on Hawaii. Also contained in the interior is a FAA operations facility.

[edit] Television show

There was a 1975 televised game show, The Diamond Head Game set at Diamond Head. The host was the game show main-stay, Bob Eubanks. Final contestants could step into a "Money Volcano" and catch flying bills of real money. ^[2]

[edit] Other references

Areas of Diamond Head are also used while filming the television series Lost which is filmed entirely on location on the island of Oʻahu. Seen from the Waikīkī Beach, Diamond Head looks just like the "black mountain" featured in Lost. The biannual Transpac race (held in July of odd-numbered years), finishes off of Diamond Head.

[edit] Gallery

View from Halekulani Hotel.	View from Punchbowl Crater in Winter	Diamond Head cone seen from the coast off Waikīkī	View from Waikīkī beach
View from Rocky Hill, which resides over Punahou School	View of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach with surfers in the ocean.	Diamond Head peak from Kapiolani Park	Diamond Head Bunker on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu

[edit] See also

Diamond Head Lighthouse

[edit] References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007)

[edit] External links

• Satellite image of Diamond Head (Google Maps)
• Diamond Head Neighborhood Page (Our Town 808)