Timeline of the Hawaiian Islands

5.1 Million Years Ago:

The first large island of the
Hawaiian archipelago,
Kauai, began to form

1.3 Million Years Ago:

Soon, Molokai left the
hotspot and in its place
formed the island Lanai
3.7 Million Years Ago:
As the pacific plate moved
northwest, the next island,
Oahu, was born

4.9 Million Years Ago:

The next island in the chain,
Niihau, formed only 200 000
years after Kauai. The two
islands are shown to be
connected by an underwater
channel called Kaulakahi.

Note: All dates are an approximation

Present Day:
Since the large island, Hawaii,
is still over the hotspot, the
island is still expanding and
will continue to

0.8 Million Years Ago:

Maui formed soon after
however it is proven that the
west half of Maui is much
older than the east

1.8 Million Years Ago:

Further movement of the
Pacific plate resulted in the
formation of Molokai

0.4 Million Years Ago:

Hawaii, the final island in the
chain, formed. It is referred
to as The Big Island to
avoid confusion between the
island and the state

1 Million Years Ago:

The next island to form was
Kahoolawe but the west half
of Maui started forming
before this island

Future:
The hotspot is also currently
forming another is volcano
named Loihi which is
predicted to start forming a
new island in 50,000 years