Aerial view of Diamond Head, O’ahu, Hawaii

Aerial view of Diamond Head, O’ahu, Hawaii

© Biederbick & Rumpf/Offset

Aerial view of Diamond Head, O’ahu, Hawaii

Geologists estimate that the volcanic tuff cone on the south shore of O’ahu formed about 300,000 years ago in a relatively short, explosive eruption. A few years after the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898, the US Army established Fort Ruger in, on, and around Diamond Head to protect the region. Today, only a few remnants of the fort survive, but the Hawaii National Guard uses parts of the site for training purposes. Diamond Head is now a state monument and a national natural landmark that is popular among visitors who can hike up to the summit to catch spectacular views of the rest of O’ahu and the Pacific Ocean.

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