Āliamanu Crater (from "bird shallow" or "bird pond"), also known as Leilono Crater or North Crater, is a volcanic tuff cone in the Salt Lake neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii.
It has an elevation of 760 feet, towering the nearby Āliapa‘akai and Makalapa craters.
History The first geological description of Aliamanu was done by 19th century geologist James Dwight Dana.
In the early 20th century, the US military constructed a military base within the crater now known as the Aliamanu Military Reserve. The area was also used for underground ammunition storage.
Geology Āliamanu was one of the many tuff craters formed during the Honolulu Volcanics, a series of eruptions in southeastern Oahu.
Legends The Ancient hawaiians believed the upper rim of Aliamanu crater to be the location of Leilono, a site said to contain the entrance to the otherworld (Pō).
Legends also record the Hawaiian goddesses Pele and Hiʻiaka using the crater as a habitat.
References