Diamond Head is a fine example of a tuff ring, formed by hydrovolcanic explosive activity about 40,000 years ago. It is about 1 km in diameter and its rim is mostly about 100 m high. On its southwestern extremity, however (away from the camera) it reaches 232 m. This marked asymmetry was the result of northeast trade winds blowing during the eruption, as they do for much of the year at the present day. The crater currently houses the Honolulu headquarters of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). (Fig. 16.5).

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