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40-454: Nuku was a traditional province of the island of Hiva Oa in pre-European times. It did not function as a unified governmental unit, but rather as a confederation of local tribes during times of war with tribes from Hiva Oa's other province, Pepane . Nuku comprised approximately the western half of Hiva Oa's landmass, as well as the whole of the tribes of the neighboring island of Tahuata . This French Polynesia -related geography article

80-511: A few tens to exist. Hawaii , Réunion , Yellowstone , Galápagos , and Iceland are some of the most active volcanic regions to which the hypothesis is applied. The plumes imaged to date vary widely in width and other characteristics, and are tilted, being not the simple, relatively narrow and purely thermal plumes many expected. Only one, (Yellowstone) has as yet been consistently modelled and imaged from deep mantle to surface. Most hotspot volcanoes are basaltic (e.g., Hawaii , Tahiti ). As

120-414: A high number of endemic species. They cover large areas of the inaccessible, humid and shady incises of the valley. Among the idiocorophytes (ancient autochthonous species) are probably the coconut palm and the screw tree, which are widespread in the lowlands. Anthropochorophytes, such as breadfruit trees and Tahitian chestnut (Inocarpus edulis), already introduced by Polynesian settlers, predominate in

160-551: A hospital, a medical and dental office, a post office (with satellite phone), a bank (with ATM), a national Gendarmerie station, a courthouse, schools with preschool (école maternelle et primaire) and a high school (Collège Sainte Anne), as well as a Catholic church and a Protestant church. For tourist needs, there is a hotel and small private pensions, as well as restaurants and bars. Larger cruise ships can also enter Atuona Bay. However, they are usually anchored and passengers are disembarked. Regular supply ships to/from Tahiti dock at

200-509: A result, they are less explosive than subduction zone volcanoes, in which water is trapped under the overriding plate. Where hotspots occur in continental regions , basaltic magma rises through the continental crust, which melts to form rhyolites . These rhyolites can form violent eruptions. For example, the Yellowstone Caldera was formed by some of the most powerful volcanic explosions in geologic history. However, when

240-653: A thicket and had only "recently" been erected. Another notable site is in the Vustin River valley . Also notable is the Ta'aoa Valley, west of Atuona, which is filled with huge banyan trees, coconut palms, twenty-meter tall Barringtonia asiatica , many breadfruit trees, mango trees and Tahitian chestnuts. Among the dense undergrowth, it is difficult to distinguish most of the house and ceremonial platforms spread over an area of 3 ha, as little has been excavated and hardly anything has been restored. The Ta'aoa valley belonged to

280-609: Is 148.2 inches (3,760 mm); the lowest is 22 inches (560 mm). The island is of volcanic origin. Geologically, Hiva Oa belongs to the Marquesas Linear Volcanic Chain, which formed from a hot spot on the Pacific Plate and is moving west-northwest at a rate of 103 to 118 mm. per year. The magmatic rocks on the island are between 1.63 and 4.26 million years old, but volcanic activity has not yet been completely extinguished. Not far from

320-526: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 9°49′45.42″S 139°4′12.11″W  /  9.8292833°S 139.0700306°W  / -9.8292833; -139.0700306 Hiva Oa The first recorded sighting of Hiva Oa by the Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Álvaro de Mendaña on 21 July 1595. They charted it as Dominica . The island was briefly occupied by german forces under

360-462: Is endemic to Hiva Oa and the neighboring island of Tahuata . There are no animals that are dangerous to humans. The nono fly, a type of black fly which occurs in the interior, is extremely unpleasant. In 2012, the population of Hiva Oa was 2,190, of which 1,845 lived in the commune of Atuona and 345 in the village of Puama'u . The inhabitants speak the southern Marquesan language , related to other Polynesian languages, and French . The population

400-543: Is famous as the final home of French painter Paul Gauguin and Belgian singer Jacques Brel , both of whom are buried in Calvary Cemetery , overlooking Atuona. It is also home to the largest tiki sculptures in French Polynesia. In late pre-European times, the island was nearly evenly divided into two provinces — Nuku in the west, and Pepane in the east. Hiva Oa is the largest and most fertile of

440-473: Is not anomalously hot, rather the crust above is unusually weak or thin, so that lithospheric extension permits the passive rising of melt from shallow depths. The origins of the concept of hotspots lie in the work of J. Tuzo Wilson , who postulated in 1963 that the formation of the Hawaiian Islands resulted from the slow movement of a tectonic plate across a hot region beneath the surface. It

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480-477: Is now closely linked to the mantle plume hypothesis. The detailed compositional studies now possible on hotspot basalts have allowed linkage of samples over the wider areas often implicate in the later hypothesis, and it's seismic imaging developments. Hotspot volcanoes are considered to have a fundamentally different origin from island arc volcanoes. The latter form over subduction zones, at converging plate boundaries. When one oceanic plate meets another,

520-785: Is primarily Christian , due to Catholic missionaries. The Catholic Church controls six religious buildings on the island, including the Church of the Immaculate Conception ( Église de l'Immaculée Conception ) in Atuona; the Church of Saint Anne ( Église de Sainte-Anne ) in Hanaiapa; the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes ( Église de Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes ) in Hanapa'aoa; the Church of Saint Joseph ( Église de Saint-Joseph ) in Nahoe;

560-485: Is said that he was buried unmarked and somewhere in the jungle. The cemetery is a much-visited lookout point, offering views of Ta'aoa Bay. Hotspot (geology) In geology , hotspots (or hot spots ) are volcanic locales thought to be fed by underlying mantle that is anomalously hot compared with the surrounding mantle. Examples include the Hawaii , Iceland , and Yellowstone hotspots . A hotspot's position on

600-479: Is the collapsed volcano Temetiu . Semi-circular Ta'a Oa bay, also called the Bay of Traitors, is in the crater of the volcano whose walls rise sharply 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above the bay. Within Ta'a Oa are Atuona Bay and adjacent Taha Uku which are the best anchorages on the island. Hiva Oa is separated from the nearby island of Tahuata to its south by a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) wide channel called Ha'ava or

640-646: The Marquesas , 1920/21, organized by the Bishop Museum . The Eiaone Valley, west of Puamau, is known for its unique and particularly expressive semi-relief petroglyphs. However, most of them are covered by dense vegetation. There are other petroglyphs, stone images and platforms in the Tahauku and Punae (Punai) valleys east of Atuona. The Atuona cultural center dedicated to the painter Paul Gauguin displays only copies of his paintings, but documents his life in

680-572: The Canal de Bordelais. Temperatures in the Marquesas are stable year round, but precipitation is highly variable. Precipitation is much greater on the north and east (windward) parts of the islands and much less on the western (leeward) parts. Droughts, sometimes lasting several years, are frequent and seem to be associated with the El Niño phenomena. The highest annual rainfall recorded in Atuona

720-606: The Church of the Sacred Heart ( Église du Sacré-Cœur ) in Puamau; and the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart ( Église de Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur ) in Ta'aoaoa. According to local myth, the gods created the Marquesas as their home. Therefore, all the islands have names related to the construction of a house: Hiva Oa means long ridge. Subsistence agriculture , a combination of fishing, pig and chicken farming, and

760-457: The Earth's surface is independent of tectonic plate boundaries , and so hotspots may create a chain of volcanoes as the plates move above them. There are two hypotheses that attempt to explain their origins. One suggests that hotspots are due to mantle plumes that rise as thermal diapirs from the core–mantle boundary. The alternative plate theory is that the mantle source beneath a hotspot

800-557: The South Seas. His house, which was right next door, has been reconstructed. In the process a disused well was found where the later inhabitants had disposed of the painter's personal belongings, including a comb and toothbrush, jugs of wine, empty absinthe bottles, a morphine syringe, and tiger balm. There are also some Jacques Brel memorabilia in Atuona . In 2003, a hangar was built especially for his Beechcraft D 50 Twin-Bonanza under

840-484: The coast. Travel along the shoreline is by boat as most of the coastal terrain is too rugged for roads. A few dirt roads traverse the interior and link seacoast villages and settlements. Atuona Airport is located at an elevation of 1,481 feet (451 m) on a plateau near the center of the island and has an asphalt-surfaced runway 3,986 feet (1,215 m) long with daily flights to other Marquesas islands and Tahiti . The outstanding geologic characteristic of Hiva Oa

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880-632: The command of Admiral Von Spee in October 1914. Administratively, Hiva Oa is part of the commune (municipality) of Hiva-Oa , itself in the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas Islands . Atuona , on the coast of Hiva Oa island, is the administrative centre of the commune. Atuona was formerly the seat of government for all of the Marquesas Islands, but it has been replaced by Taioha'e on Nuku Hiva island. The island

920-537: The concept of a hotspot has been used to explain its origin. A review article by Courtillot et al. listing possible hotspots makes a distinction between primary hotspots coming from deep within the mantle and secondary hotspots derived from mantle plumes. The primary hotspots originate from the core/mantle boundary and create large volcanic provinces with linear tracks (Easter Island, Iceland, Hawaii, Afar, Louisville, Reunion, and Tristan confirmed; Galapagos, Kerguelen and Marquersas likely). The secondary hotspots originate at

960-491: The cultivation of staple crops such as breadfruit, coconut, yam, taro, sweet potatoes and bananas, remains the basis of the island's economy. Part of the copra is grown for export. Tourism has so far existed only to a small extent, but is economically important, as otherwise there are few jobs on the island. The currency is the CFP franc , which is pegged to the euro . The settlements are only partially connected by paved roads. As

1000-474: The denser plate is forced downward into a deep ocean trench. This plate, as it is subducted, releases water into the base of the over-riding plate, and this water mixes with the rock, thus changing its composition causing some rock to melt and rise. It is this that fuels a chain of volcanoes, such as the Aleutian Islands , near Alaska . The joint mantle plume /hotspot hypothesis originally envisaged

1040-487: The existing ones are also steep and winding, the preferred means of transport between the villages is still by boat. The west and the mountainous interior of the island are largely undeveloped. The airfield, with a 1,250 m paved runway ( ICAO code: NTMN, IATA code: HIX), is located on the Tepuna plateau, northeast of Atuona, and is connected to the village by a winding road. Atuona has a fairly modern infrastructure, with

1080-509: The feeder structures to be fixed relative to one another, with the continents and seafloor drifting overhead. The hypothesis thus predicts that time-progressive chains of volcanoes are developed on the surface. Examples are Yellowstone , which lies at the end of a chain of extinct calderas, which become progressively older to the west. Another example is the Hawaiian archipelago, where islands become progressively older and more deeply eroded to

1120-490: The foot of a steep cliff and includes 8 stone statues and cyclopean heads. The largest is Tiki Takai'i, the guardian spirit of the valley, at 2.43 meters. However, the most interesting artwork is the Maki'i Taua Pepe figure, unique in the entire South Seas region, which, according to Karl von den Steinen, physician and ethnologist, depicts a priestess or goddess giving birth. According to Thor Heyerdahl, who visited Hiva Oa in 1937,

1160-400: The harbor pier. The village of Puamau is 45 km from Atuona (a two and a half hour drive up a steep and winding road). On the outskirts of the village is a large ceremonial platform, said to be the burial place of Queen Vahine Titoiani. There are large stone tikis carved on two corners of the platform. In the Puamau valley, about two kilometers from the coast, is Ipona (formerly: Oipona),

1200-606: The largest and most important historical site in the Marquesas. The valley once belonged to the influential Naiki tribe , which also controlled the Atuona region. After the Naiki captured and consumed the chief of the neighboring tribe, Tio'o, the clans of the Hanapa'aoa district took revenge and wiped out the Naiki. The victors erected a tapu on Ipona and installed tikis. After the introduction of Christianity, this place of worship fell into disuse. The Marae Takii, now well restored and consisting of three overlapping terraces, stands at

1240-531: The lowland and midland regions. A threat to native plant communities could be bamboo, which is not native to the island and has already formed extensive groves in some places. In the higher, more inaccessible areas of the island, the natural habitats remain almost unchanged. The north, shaded from wind and rain by the mountains, is largely arid. The fauna of the Marquesas Islands is limited to land and sea birds, insects , reptiles, butterflies and spiders. The Marquesas warbler ( Acrocephalus mendanae mendanae )

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1280-481: The name "Jojo", which has been restored in the meantime. Photos and documents from Brel's stay in the South Seas over several years are also on display here. A monument to Jacques Brel has been erected on a lookout point on the airport road. In the Calvaire Cemetery (Cimetière Calvaire), located above Atuona, are the graves of Gauguin and Brel. It is sometimes doubted that this is Gauguin's actual grave; it

1320-539: The northwest. Geologists have tried to use hotspot volcanic chains to track the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates. This effort has been vexed by the lack of very long chains, by the fact that many are not time-progressive (e.g. the Galápagos ) and by the fact that hotspots do not appear to be fixed relative to one another (e.g. Hawaii and Iceland ). That mantle plumes are much more complex than originally hypothesised and move independently of each other and plates

1360-531: The rhyolite is completely erupted, it may be followed by eruptions of basaltic magma rising through the same lithospheric fissures (cracks in the lithosphere). An example of this activity is the Ilgachuz Range in British Columbia, which was created by an early complex series of trachyte and rhyolite eruptions, and late extrusion of a sequence of basaltic lava flows. The hotspot hypothesis

1400-481: The road from Atuona to Ta'aoa, further west, some mud pots and small solfataras can be seen. Like Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, as the second largest island in the archipelago, has a relatively high biodiversity for the South Pacific islands. A total of 205 native plants - 24 of them endemic - and 178 exotic species have been identified. Among the richest and most widespread native species on the island are ferns with

1440-458: The southern Marquesas islands and second only to Nuku Hiva in size. Similar to all the larger Marquesas, Hiva Oa features steep cliffs abruptly rising from the ocean to a rugged interior spine of volcanic mountains, ridges, and deep, isolated valleys. Unlike most other Polynesian islands near the equator, no fringing coral reefs protect Hiva Oa from the pounding of the ocean and only a few sheltered anchorages and sandy beaches are scattered around

1480-467: The sphere of influence of the powerful Tiu tribe, which plays a central role in the traditional myths of Hiva Oa. The buildings erected were correspondingly numerous and representative. In the center is a tohua, the largest of the Marquesas. A large tiki stands in the plaza and a stone head on one of the ceremonial platforms. Taro cultivation terraces have been found in the vicinity of the settlement. Ralph Linton explored this site as part of his expedition to

1520-454: The statue does not resemble a woman giving birth, but "more like an animal swimming," and he compared it to two sculptures of the "alligator god" from the St. Augustine culture. v.d. Steinen's interpretation of a woman in labor is contradicted by the fact that the base emerged from the navel region and not from the loins. He learned from his informants that the statue had long been lying on its back in

1560-526: The upper/lower mantle boundary, and do not form large volcanic provinces, but island chains (Samoa, Tahiti, Cook, Pitcairn, Caroline, MacDonald confirmed, with up to 20 or so more possible). Other potential hotspots are the result of shallow mantle material surfacing in areas of lithospheric break-up caused by tension and are thus a very different type of volcanism. Estimates for the number of hotspots postulated to be fed by mantle plumes have ranged from about 20 to several thousand, with most geologists considering

1600-419: Was later postulated that hotspots are fed by streams of hot mantle rising from the Earth's core–mantle boundary in a structure called a mantle plume . Whether or not such mantle plumes exist has been the subject of a major controversy in Earth science, but seismic images consistent with evolving theory now exist. At any place where volcanism is not linked to a constructive or destructive plate margin,

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