Āliamanu Crater | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 760 ft (230 m) |
Coordinates | 21°21′42″N 157°54′54″W / 21.36167°N 157.91500°W |
Geography | |
Location | Salt Lake, Hawaii, United States |
Parent range | Hawaiian Islands |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Tuff cone |
Volcanic arc | Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain |
Āliamanu Crater, also known as Leilono Crater [1] [2] or North Crater, [2] is a volcanic tuff cone in the Salt Lake neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. [3]
It has an elevation of 760 feet, [4] towering the nearby Āliapa‘akai and Makalapa craters.
The first geological description of Aliamanu was done by 19th century geologist James Dwight Dana. [5]
In the early 20th century, the US military constructed a military base within the crater now known as the Aliamanu Military Reserve. The area was also used for underground ammunition storage. [4]
Āliamanu was one of the many tuff craters formed during the Honolulu Volcanics, a series of eruptions in southeastern Oahu. [3]
The Ancient hawaiians believed the upper rim of Aliamanu crater to be the location of Leilono, a site said to contain the entrance to the otherworld (Pō). [6]
Legends also record the Hawaiian goddesses Pele and Hiʻiaka using the crater as a habitat. [6]