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Kauai's Mount Waialeale.(weatherscapes)
- Article from:
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Weatherwise
- Article date:
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November 1, 2007
- Author:
- Darack, Ed
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2007 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Wrapped in verdant swaths of forest and bordered by precipitous cliffs, the island of Kauai owes its steeply incised landforms and dense stands of plant life to factors most visitors might never consider: the region's predominant winds and an often cloud-veiled peak of generous girth that stands as the island's centerpiece, Mount Waialeale.
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From a geographic standpoint, Mount Waialeale is the portion of a huge volcano (known to geologists as Kilohana, which has its base on the Pacific Ocean floor) that rises above the ocean's surface. It has two summit peaks, Waialeale and Kawaikini. Kawaikini is the higher of the two at 5,243 feet. With ...