Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea ( or , ) is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. Its peak is above sea level, making it the highest point in the state of Hawaii. Most of the mountain is under water, and when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world measuring over . Mauna Kea is about a million years old, and has thus passed the most active shield stage of life hundreds of thousands of years ago. In its current post-shield state, its lava is more viscous, resulting in a steeper profile. Late volcanism has also given it a much rougher appearance than its neighboring volcanoes due to construction of cinder cones, decentralization of its rift zones, glaciation on its peak, and weathering by the prevailing trade winds. Mauna Kea last erupted 6,000 to 4,000 years ago and is now considered dormant. The peak is only about higher than its more massive neighbor, Mauna Loa.
Mauna Kea
The five volcanoes of Hawaii are revered as sacred mountains; and Mauna Kea's summit, the highest, is the most sacred. For this reason, a "kapu" (ancient Hawaiian law) restricted visitor rights to high-ranking aliʻi. Hawaiians associated elements of their natural environment with particular deities. In Hawaiian mythology, the summit of Mauna Kea was seen as the "region of the gods", a place where benevolent spirits reside. Poliahu, deity of snow, also resides there. In Hawaiian, Mauna Kea is a shortened form of "Mauna a Wakea" which denotes the mountain's connection to the sky father Wakea; however, the English translation of Mauna Kea is "white mountain" in reference to its seasonally snow-capped summit.