Subsidence rates for the Southeastern Hawaiian Islands determined from submerged terraces

Detailed bathymetric maps of the southeastern Hawaiian Islands reveal terraces west of Lanai and west of Hawaii; these can be correlated with glacial maxima to provide island subsidence rates of 1.9 and 2.4 mm/yr, respectively. These data agree in general with subsidence rates determined by other means. Plots of present depth versus age for these terraces show that subsidence of the island of Hawaii has remained relatively constant since 600 ka; thus the magma production of the Hawaiian hotspot has been nearly steady for this period. These subsidence rates also explain why evidence of sea levels higher than present is not found on the islands southeast of Oahu.