The island of Kauai is located in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. The oldest of all the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is still young in comparison to other islands of the Pacific Hawaiian-Emperor Volcanic Chain. Kauai was formed by the Pacific Plate of the Earth’s oceanic crust shifting over a volatile hot spot, then molten rock, magma, floating upward and spewing onto the depths of the seafloor. Over time, the accumulation of cooled magma grew taller than sea level. The Hawaiian-Emperor islands are known as shield volcanoes for their large bases and low-angle slopes. The unique formations of the Hawaiian Islands made Kauai County an intriguing candidate to study it’s various elevation characteristics.
The coordinates of the island of Kauai were derived from the ArcGRID NAD 83, the North American Datum 1983 used by the Geographical Reference System, and represent a rectangular region. The coordinates for the selected region of Kauai are given as:
N: 22.25228 W: -159.78672
S: 21.86082 E: -159.28565
Latitude: 22° 3' 0" (Degrees/Minutes/Seconds)
Longitude: -159° 30' 2" (Degrees/Minutes/Seconds)
