New K–Ar ages of shield lavas from Waianae Volcano, Oahu, Hawaiian Archipelago

A geochronological study utilized the unspiked potassium–argon (K–Ar) technique to obtain ages from the two main volcanic members of the shield stage of the Waianae Volcano, HI. These new dates are further constrained using a combination of stratigraphic relationships, magnetostratigraphy and major element geochemistry. Exposed shield lavas encompass 0.85 Ma, with reliably dated tholeiitic lavas from the main shield ranging from 3.93±0.08 to 3.54±0.04 Ma, and a later shield stage ranging in age from 3.57±0.04 to 3.08±0.04 Ma. These data suggest that the total extent of Waianae shield activity was significantly more than 1 Ma. The age of faulting in two flank zones is constrained to be about 3.4 Ma. Preliminary estimates of lava accumulation rates vary from about 0.3 to 2.0 mm/a; calculated rates show no systematic variation with location in the volcano or with time.