Researcher Says the Hawaiian Islands Are Dissolving

SternisheFan writes with a snippet from Science Recorder: "Reporting in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, researchers at Brigham Young University say that the Hawaiian Islands are slowly dissolving. Eventually, Oahu's Koolau and Waianae mountains will dwindle to little more than a flat, low-lying island like Midway. While erosion is certainly a guilty party, researchers contend that the mountains of Oahu are, in fact, dissolving from within. Researchers spent several months collecting samples of groundwater and stream water to determine which source removed more mineral material. They also put to use surface water estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey to calculate the quantity of mass that vanished from the island each year. Researchers point out that Oahu is actually rising in elevation at a slow but steady rate due to plate tectonics. [BYU geologist Steve Nelson] and colleagues believe that Oahu will continue to grow for as long as 1.5 million years. Beyond that, the force of groundwater will eventually win and Oahu will begin its transformation to a flat, low-lying island like Midway." (If you have journal access, or don't mind forking over $40, you can read the original paper.)

Comments

Hmmmm

[Dishwasha]

colleagues believe that Oahu will continue to grow for as long as 1.5 million years.

So what you're saying is, we've got some time?

Of course

[jfdavis668]

This is how islands form and erode. This is some kind of surprise?

Re:Of course

[houghi]

While erosion is certainly a guilty party, researchers contend that the mountains of Oahu are, in fact, dissolving from within.

Erosion is not the interesting part, From within is.

Here's what I don't get

[Anonymous Coward]

In the 70s, all people heard was "save the oceans!" and such. Now, we're making MORE ocean and people are still upset. We just can't win.

Re:Oh Shit

[davester666]

That's fine because he won't let it be stored in anything but an Oracle database, running an Oracle OS on Oracle hardware. It'll never be big enough to hold his entire ego, and it certainly won't last the decade...