Lōʻihi

Updated on:
January 20, 2022

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Lōʻihi

New Loʻihi Island Forming South Of The Big Island

QUESTION

I heard that a new Hawaiian island called Loihi is forming.  When can I go there?

ANSWER

You can plan a vacation on the island of Loihi in 50,000 years.

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About Lōʻihi Hawaii

All of the Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanoes that began from the ocean floor, with eruptions over millions of years growing each island up to and above the surface of the ocean.  Eighteen miles southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii, there is a new island called Loihi forming, with lava erupting from its peak underwater and building it closer to the ocean surface.  The top of Loihi is still 3000 feet underwater.  It is estimated that it will take another 50,000 years for it to rise up and form dry land for a new Hawaiian island.

For the location of Loihi, see the map below.

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Lōʻihi Hawaii Map

The new island of Loihi is in the lower right corner of this map, southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii:

Map of Loihi Hawaiian island

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