America's National Park Quarters

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park quarter design

On December 8, 2011, the U.S. Mint unveiled the final design for the 2012 Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park quarter. As the 4th release of the year, the Hawaii quarter will feature the east rift of the Kilauea Volcano. Kilauea rises 4,190 feet above sea level and is located on the south side of Mauna Loa. It is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. To learn more about this amazing volcano check out the US Geological Survey.

The east rift extends, as a ridge, nearly 80 miles from the caldera (large crater) to the ocean floor. Along the ridge are numerous vents from which lava erupts and spews. In fact, Kilauea means spewing or much spreading.

Created by U.S. Mint engraver Charles L. Vickers, the image of the volcano on the reverse is one of the more modernistic designs. The reverse inscriptions include the name of the site: hawai’i volcanoes, the year of issue: 2012 and the motto: e pluribus unum and the state.

This handsome quarter is a perfect match for the 2008 Statehood quarter, which also featured Hawaii, the park’s home state. As 14th in the series overall, the Hawaii quarter will be followed by the Denali National Park issue, the final coin for 2012.

Kilauea Volcano in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

Located on the “Big Island” of Hawaii, this national park is home to Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on earth and Kilauea, the world’s most active. These are just 2 of the 5 different volcanoes found on the island of Hawaii, the youngest island in all of the Hawaiian chain. Through the efforts of Lorrin Thurston, the “father” of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, this special land became a national park in 1916. It will be featured on the 2012 National Park quarters – as the fourth release of the year.

The park covers 333,000 acres with landscape ranging from sea level and rising nearly 14,000 feet to the top of Mauna Loa. For centuries, native Hawaiians worshipped the volcano goddess, Pele, whom they believed lived in a crater on Kilauea. According to legend, visitors who remove rock (Pele’s children) from the volcano are cursed with bad luck.

Kilauea has been continuously erupting since 1983 and has added over 450 acres of land to the big island. Although this volcano erupts, it isn’t the violent, explosive type, which allows visitors to see an active volcano first hand. Volcanic vents, pit craters, and lava tubes are just a few of the fascinating natural wonders that draw people to the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Thanks to its rich history and landscape, it has been named both an International Biosphere Reserve (in 1980) and a World Heritage Site (in 1987).

More information on Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.