Physical Factors Controlling the Formation of Patterned Ground on Haleakala, Maui

This study was performed to delineate the physical environment responsible for the formation of distinct miniature stone stripes at Haleakala (3055 m) on the island of Maui. The patterned ground occurs above the elevation of 2774 m in the ecologically alpine desert near the summit.The number of 0° C-crossing cycles of daily air temperature at Haleakala is small and comparable to that of the southern coastal states of the US. However, our temperature observations on the summit of Haleakala and related studies by others suggest that the ground of high Hawaiian mountains would experience higher frequency of 0° C-crossing and freeze-thaw cycles than can be expected from the air temperature data.Supply of soil moisture in the form of fog and drizzle and effective radiational cooling were also found vital for the needle ice development at the Haleakala summit.These climatological factors, together with the fact that the distribution of stone stripes is controlled by the presence of a silty sand layer, indicate that the ground features on Haleakala are of periglacial origin and have been produced under the mixture of critical environmental conditions.