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Where is the Hawaiian hotspot?
GeologyHotspots
Quick Answer
It is beneath the central Pacific Ocean, under the Hawaiian Islands. It is a mantle plume that created the island chain as the Pacific Plate moved over it.
The Full Story
The Hawaiian hotspot is located deep beneath the Pacific Plate, not at a plate boundary. As the Pacific Plate moved northwest over the hotspot, a chain of volcanoes and islands formed, including the Hawaiian Islands and the Emperor seamount chain. This hotspot is responsible for Hawaiiβs volcanic origins, including active volcanism on the Big Island. The age of the islands increases to the northwest, showing the plateβs movement over time.
Key Facts
1.Under the central Pacific Ocean
2.Created the Hawaiian island chain
3.Shows plate motion over a mantle plume
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"How a hotspot built Hawaii island by island"