Thursday, February 19, 2015

ʻEke Crater


Early Hawaiians considered ʻEke Crater near the summit of the West Maui Mountain to be Heaven's Gate, or a doorway between the physical and spiritual worlds.  "Mauna ʻEke is the name given to the circular range in the bosom of which lies the valley, whose sides, moistened with mists and trickling streams, are perennially green.”

ʻEke Crater is an extinct volcanic dome with eroded sides and gently concave summit. The summit bog is underlain by a clay hardpan over a compressed lava core and is characterized by numerous pits and open water ponds.  Towering at nearly 4,500 feet in elevation, the name 'Crater' is quite deceiving, as no visible crater remains today. The mountain is actually the remnants of an eroded volcanic cone.

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