The entire Hāmākua coastal area, from north of the Wailuku River to Honokaa, is characterized by a mantling of deeply weathered volcanic ash deposits, known varously as the "Pahala" or "Homelani" Ash, which in turn overlie deeply weathered lava flows from Mauna Kea volcano (Buchanan-Banks, 1983; Wentworth, 1938) ... Wherever mechanically disturbed, however, these ash deposits become structurally unstable (Wieczorek and others, 1982), and are subject to "thixotropic" behavior (ability to convert from stable solids to viscous, mobile fluids when under load pressure or on steepened slopes).
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In addition to the potential harm cliff failures pose humans and property, they also cause long-term harm to the shoreline habitat and nearshore waters:
Good descriptions of the impact of cliff failures on marine life are included in Dr. Robert Nishimoto's articles in the Hāmākua Times: "Hāmākua Cliff Slides and the Hawksbill Turtle: The Perfect Storm” and "The Lonely Life of the Hāmākua `Opihi".
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![]() Detail of side view of January 2015 Cliff Failure immediately north of Hakalau Bay at about the 16 mile marker, showing debris including rocks, dirt and trees. As of September 2018, this slide is still causing harm to the environment. Photo courtesy of Cal Motoda. Photo courtesy of Calvin Motoda, 1/12/2015.
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Amend and/ or create County Codes and Planning Department Rules to develop shoreline and building setbacks to address environmental, health, and safety priorities.
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For the Hakalau Kuleana, our responsibility is to care for the land, the people, and the culture. We are guided by cultural values of YESTERDAY: Engage in collective effort. Look out for each other. Honor hard work. Show respect for those who came before us. Aloha and Mālama `Aina. In 2021, Akiko Masuda added two more values to the list: Consistently show up. Whatever has to be done, jump in and do it!
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