CONCLUSIONS

• There has been only one flow in the eastern part of Hilo in the past 10,000 years.
• This flow is underlain by a thick sequence of corals and carbonate sediments reflecting sea level rise in the last 10,000 years.
• The growth rate of Mauna Loa over the past 60,000 years is estimated to be ~0.02 km³/yr, much less than the typical value of 0.05-0.10 km³/yr expected for shield building. The growth rate for Mauna Kea during its waning stages (up to 100,000 years B.P.) is 0.01-0.02 km³/yr. These results are consistent with previous speculations that Mauna Loa is in its waning stages.
• The generally accepted time for shield-building of Hawaiian volcanoes is ~500,000 years, but the last 10% of shield-building of Mauna Kea took >300,000 years. This implies volcano lifetimes of ~10⁶ years, i.e., significantly longer than generally expected.

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