Mantle plumes produce basalts which provide fundamental information on the composition and history of the mantle. The Hawai'ian plume is the classic example of a mantle plume and its basalts are unquestionably the best studied suite from any plume.
The subaerially exposed lavas of Koolau Volcano belong to the Enriched Mantle1 endmember of ocean island basalts  and they define a geochemical endmember among Hawai'ian shield lavas in major and trace elements and in isotopes. Koolau lavas are important to an understanding of the origin and evolution of the Hawai'ian plume and the mantle.

Keywords: North America, USA, Hawai'i, Koolau, Isotopes, High Resolution, Mantle Plume, Periodicity, Recycling, Source Character, Thermal Regimes, Trace Elements, Volcanic Systems