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Kauai Fossils On Makaheni Lithified Cliffs Fun!


franster

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I am always trying to find a relaxing vacation destination with fossils attached. The usual philosophy about the Hawaiian Islands is that they have no fossils because of their recent volcanic origins. Well surprise! The island of Kauai (the oldest Hawaiian island) has Holocene fossils in the south of the island. In May we visited Kauai and I visited the Makaheni lithified cliffs. The fossils being Holocene are really recent but the location is so spectacular that the geology would stun any fossil lover. This is a location you could take the non-fossil hunters in the family and they would like it too. Besides, hey, it’s Kauai!

Makaheni is a lithified calcareous dune deposit that includes limestone sea cliff caves a sinkhole, and fossils.

To quote the literature, “The lithified sand dunes that form Makawehi (also known as the Paa Ridge) accumulated as sand dunes during the last “high stand” of the sea, about 125,000 years ago. As sea levels lowered at the peak of the Ice Age (about 18,000 years ago), reaching its lowest point of around 360–400 feet below the present sea level, the dunes occupied a more inland position. From there, volcanic ash deposited onto the dunes and a coastal forest began to flourish. Rain percolated through the sand which partially dissolved some of the skeletal and coral grain sands. Calcite crystals grew around the sand grains and within the pore space between the grains, locking together to produce the cement that changed the carbonate sand into carbonate sandstone, also known as limestone. As the Ice Age ended glaciers melted, resulting in a rise in sea level. Waves eroded much of the dune and formed what is now Keoneloa Bay. Makawehi point is being undercut by continual wave erosion. The huge blocks of limestone that lie at the base of these cliffs are examples of that erosion. Caution: Stay well back from the edge.”

The obvious fossils are coral, gastropods, and wood. Many more are found in the caves and are well documented in this publication- “FOSSIL EVIDENCE FOR A DIVERSE BIOTA FROM KAUA‘I AND ITS TRANSFORMATION SINCE HUMAN ARRIVAL DAVID A. BURNEY,et al 2001”

If anyone has resources to help me id these fossils please let me know, as I can’t find much in the online literature.

One piece of advice I would give to any visitors to Kauai – don’t go in the off season as it was 89 degrees with 95% humidity. The 89 degrees was OK but the humidity makes it feel so hot it’s hard to focus. I sweated from places I didn’t even know I had!

Also they request that you do not take fossils from the cliff. I scavenged where the base of the cliff touches the tideline because the sea was going to turn them into sand very soon anyhow. I actually brought very few home with me but took lots of pictures. Great fossil and geo fun trip!

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Fossils are not "common" but are present on a few of the Hawaiian Islands. Oahu has shark teeth and other marine fossils along with bird fossils. I believe Maui also has bird fossils. I lived in Hawaii (not on Kauai) for 3 years and never experienced 89 degrees with 95 percent humidity. Sounds like the southeast in the US. But, that temp and humidity makes for a wet day outside. Kauai is also the oldest of the major islands. But to me, sounds like a great vacation and some interesting fossils. Wish I could help you ID your finds, hopefully someone on here can.

Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt
behind the trailer, my desert
Them red clay piles are heaven on earth
I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt

Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers

 

image.png.0c956e87cee523facebb6947cb34e842.png May 2016  MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png.b42a25e3438348310ba19ce6852f50c1.png May 2012 IPFOTM5.png.fb4f2a268e315c58c5980ed865b39e1f.png.1721b8912c45105152ac70b0ae8303c3.png.2b6263683ee32421d97e7fa481bd418a.pngAug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png.af5065d0585e85f4accd8b291bf0cc2e.png.72a83362710033c9bdc8510be7454b66.png.9171036128e7f95de57b6a0f03c491da.png Oct 2022

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This is a very interesting, informative topic; thank you very much!

My entire Hawaiian collection is from Kauai; de-accessioned as surplus after a site research paper was published:

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"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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Wow I wish someone would de-accesion more fossil! Nice stuff! What kind of bones are they?

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Don,

In the 90's there was a collector who collected Pleistocene crabs in Hawaii - don't recall the island.

I had heard that fossil shark teeth could be found in Tahiti but did not know you could find them on Oahu.

Jess

Fossils are not "common" but are present on a few of the Hawaiian Islands. Oahu has shark teeth and other marine fossils along with bird fossils. I believe Maui also has bird fossils. I lived in Hawaii (not on Kauai) for 3 years and never experienced 89 degrees with 95 percent humidity. Sounds like the southeast in the US. But, that temp and humidity makes for a wet day outside. Kauai is also the oldest of the major islands. But to me, sounds like a great vacation and some interesting fossils. Wish I could help you ID your finds, hopefully someone on here can.

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Jess, interesting about the crabs, I had not heard this before. This a link to the paper on the bird fossils found on Oahu, the site was less than a mile from where I lived.

http://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/11424/vz_james-87-documlabgeollyon-pleistocene_oahu.pdf;jsessionid=F9AD85F08EAAF45EBB1CF22B42597F4F?sequence=1

As far as the teeth there are 3 or 4 locations on Oahu where teeth and fossil gastropods are found, not in big numbers though. Another fossil site has several trip reports about Oahu fossiling. I have a couple of teeth that I received in a trade a few years ago. When I lived there in the 1970's I was not yet a collector.

Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt
behind the trailer, my desert
Them red clay piles are heaven on earth
I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt

Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers

 

image.png.0c956e87cee523facebb6947cb34e842.png May 2016  MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png.b42a25e3438348310ba19ce6852f50c1.png May 2012 IPFOTM5.png.fb4f2a268e315c58c5980ed865b39e1f.png.1721b8912c45105152ac70b0ae8303c3.png.2b6263683ee32421d97e7fa481bd418a.pngAug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png.af5065d0585e85f4accd8b291bf0cc2e.png.72a83362710033c9bdc8510be7454b66.png.9171036128e7f95de57b6a0f03c491da.png Oct 2022

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Wow I wish someone would de-accesion more fossil! Nice stuff! What kind of bones are they?

Thanks! they are from assorted seabirds, shearwaters and such.

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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I forgot to mention that the collector used to go to the MAPS EXPO during the 90's - maybe still does.

Jess, interesting about the crabs, I had not heard this before. This a link to the paper on the bird fossils found on Oahu, the site was less than a mile from where I lived.

http://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/11424/vz_james-87-documlabgeollyon-pleistocene_oahu.pdf;jsessionid=F9AD85F08EAAF45EBB1CF22B42597F4F?sequence=1

As far as the teeth there are 3 or 4 locations on Oahu where teeth and fossil gastropods are found, not in big numbers though. Another fossil site has several trip reports about Oahu fossiling. I have a couple of teeth that I received in a trade a few years ago. When I lived there in the 1970's I was not yet a collector.

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