It seems impossible to be true: The island of Hawaii (aka the “Big Island”), a tropical island in the Pacific, once had glaciers.

While they are long gone, evidence of the glaciers can still be found on the southern slope of Maunakea volcano, the tallest mountain on earth. The Ice Age Natural Area Reserve was designated in 1981 to protect the area’s unique ecosystem and natural features the glaciers left behind. The 3,894-acre reserve also contains a vast archaeological history left by generations of Native Hawaiians, including the Maunakea Adze Quarry Complex, the largest primitive rock quarry in the world.

“The quarry is huge. You can see it in an aerial,” Nick Agorastos, program manager for the reserve, told SFGATE. Over 4.6 square miles, there are an innumerable amount of stones heaped into mounds. “It’s very easy to see them on Google Earth. They stand out very easily from the surrounding territory.”

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The adze quarry at the Ice Age Natural Area Reserve, where Hawaiians, without any metal, formed tools and weapons and had to stay in remote caves at high elevations (12,000 ft) while working.

The glaciers on Maunakea existed at different times between 13,000 and 70,000 years ago. The evidence includes collections of debris and groove marks that were created by the weight of moving ice. The........

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