Hawaii Volcanoes America the Beautiful Quarter

The fourth coin to be seen in 2012 as part of the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program will be the 2012 Hawaii Volcanoes America the Beautiful Quarter. The strike will also be the fourteenth to be released since the program began in 2010.

Artists are likely to submit their suggested designs for the Volcanoes quarter sometime in late 2010. The US Mint will then have these designs reviewed by the appropriate bodies, probably in 2011, before forwarding them to the Treasury Secretary who will make the final selection. Then, sometime in early 2012 before the first quarter of the year is seen, an announcement should be made showing the designs for all five quarters that will be struck that year.

The three strikes preceding the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Quarter in 2012 will be the Puerto Rico El Yunque National Forest Quarter, the New Mexico Chaco Culture National Historic Park Quarter and the Maine Acadia National Park Quarter. Following those four, and closing out the 2012 strikes will be the Alaska Denali National Park Quarter.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii

Established in 1916, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is located on the island of Hawaii (also known as the big island).

The park was the eleventh National Park created in the United States and has seen many changes over the years. One of the most dramatic of these is the continual eruption of Kilauea since 1983. It has sent millions of cubic yards of lava into the sea resulting in new land, meaning the island is actually growing.

This occurs because the hot lava hits the ocean water and immediately cools the red hot substance to form rock. Today, the park consists of over 500 square miles of varied terrain and climates ranging from a rain forest to a volcanic desert created by acid rain. Elevations in the park go from sea-level to the summit of Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet.

Another major change for the park resulted in 2004 when 115,788 acres was added to it through a US $21.9 million purchase from the Samuel Mills Damon Estate. It resulted in the park growing by over 56%.

Over 1.5 million visitors make their way to the island park annually to see the volcanic activity in action. Activity ranges from vents in Summit Crater billowing ash and fumes to lava flows accessible to visitors.