Penguin Bank


Penguin Bank is the name given to a now-submerged shield volcano of the Hawaiian Islands. Its coral-capped remains lie immediately west of the island of Molokai, under relatively shallow water.

Geology

The Penguin Bank volcano is part of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. It was one of the seven principal Cenozoic Era volcanoes that formerly constituted the prehistoric island of Maui Nui, along with West Molokai, East Molokai, Lānai, West Maui, East Maui, and Kahoolawe. The date of the last eruption is unknown.

Boundary area

Penguin Bank is about long and wide and less than deep. The site coordinates are: NW ; NE ; SW ; and SE.

Conservation

Plans to build wind turbines on Penguin Bank were called off in April 2009, because the site is located in the heart of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, requiring a lease from the then-active Minerals Management Service. However, the MMS would not issue leases within marine sanctuaries, effectively killing the project.