#Fold mountains
Doug,
>> >> Has there been any drilling and cores taken in the Hawaiian Islands?
>> Probably, but I do not know of them. Wake me up when Mauna Loa spits out a
piece of continental crust… I gather volcanic eruptions are liable to bring
up occasional stray chunks of deep rock. <<
Must have been — I know the entire Hawaiian chain of seamounts has been dated
by radiometric methods. That must have required coring in the sunken seamounts
northwest of Midway Atoll.
Also, I don't think it's likely Mauna Loa or Kilauea will be 'spitting out'
continental crust anytime soon. The Hawaiian volcanoes are noteworthy for
having some of the most fluid, least explosive lava to be found anywhere on
Earth. Even mildly explosive eruptions are almost unknown on Hawaii, and as
for violent blasts like Mt. St. Helens or Tamboro, forget it.
JSW