Instead of assigning a Hawaiian name to Fissure 8, I suggest the name remain as is. Previously published media reports about Fissure 8 are not going to be updated to reflect a new Hawaiian name for the fissure.

Assigning a Hawaiian name now would only result in the fissure having two names. Having two names will make it difficult for future researchers to easily gather historical data about the event.

What the Hawaii Board on Geographic Names should do is keep a list of Hawaiian names readily available for such events and use the list to assign names to events when they occur. Having a list of potential names beforehand, i.e., similar to names maintained for storms, would enable any event requiring a Hawaiian name to be assigned the name at its beginning and prevent future confusion.

Milton Bell

Ewa Beach

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