Hawaii has been an integral part in developing our theory of plate tectonics for geologists. The age progression of the islands – younger in the southeast – getting older to the Northwest, basically gives us an estimate of how fast the plate was moving versus how quickly those Hawaiian volcanoes formed on top of the Pacific Plate. Rock samples collected during the 2016 Hohonu Moana: Exploring Deep Waters off Hawaiʻi expedition will help geologists further weave the story of our dynamic planet.