Hawaii Volcanoes National Park acquires adjacent property

HILO, Hawaii (AP) - The National Park Service has acquired a nearly 2,000-acre (800-hectare) Big Island property containing a chasm known as "The Great Crack."

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports the oceanfront property adjacent to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was purchased for $1.95 million in a recent foreclosure sale.

Ben Hayes, the park's director of interpretation, says the park has been interested in the property northeast of Pahala for more than five decades.

Hayes says environmental assessments will be conducted to determine how the park will manage the site and if it will be publicly accessible.

The site contains a 6-mile (10-kilometer) ravine in a lava field that is 60-feet (18 meters) wide and 60-feet (18 meters) deep in places. The site has become a popular hiking spot despite that it was on private property.