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Most volcanic eruptions occur near the boundaries of tectonic plates, but there are some exceptions. In the interior of some tectonic plates, magma has been erupting from a relatively fixed spot below the plate for millions of years. As the plate continuously moves across that spot, a trail of progressively older volcanic deposits is left at the surface. The Hawaiian Islands are a good example of this. The island of Hawai‘i currently sits above the active hotspot, while a chain of older (and no longer active) island volcanoes extend to the northwest, in the direction of plate movement. A few hotspots (like the one in Iceland) have also been found at diverging plate boundaries.
Scientists don’t fully understand how and why hotspots occur, and there is vigorous scientific debate about their origins. A frequently-used hypothesis suggests that hotspots form over exceptionally hot regions in the mantle, which is the hot, flowing layer of the Earth beneath the crust. Mantle rock in those extra-hot regions is more buoyant than the surrounding rocks, so it rises through the mantle and crust to erupt at the surface.
Hotspots and their trails on the earth’s surface do not develop suddenly (within the span of a human lifetime, for example). Scientists are only able to identify hotspots because of their relatively fixed locations beneath the tectonic plates, which produce tracks of surface volcanism spanning millions of years.
Learn more:
Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the mantle plume currently underneath Yellowstone caldera. Colors indicate general basaltic (blues) versus rhyolitic (reds) compositions, with shades indicating age (darker shades are older). Rough outlines of calderas that formed due to the Yellowstone hotspot are give
Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the mantle plume currently underneath Yellowstone caldera. Colors indicate general basaltic (blues) versus rhyolitic (reds) compositions, with shades indicating age (darker shades are older). Rough outlines of calderas that formed due to the Yellowstone hotspot are give
Busting Myths About One of the Largest Volcanic Systems in the World - The Top 10 Misconceptions about Yellowstone Volcanism
By Michael Poland, USGS Scientist-in-charge, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
Busting Myths About One of the Largest Volcanic Systems in the World - The Top 10 Misconceptions about Yellowstone Volcanism
By Michael Poland, USGS Scientist-in-charge, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
Map showing the submarine shape of the Hawaiian hotspot track, which extends from the Hawaiian Islands, through a prominent bend in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The inset shows the volcanoes in the main Hawaiian Islands.
Map showing the submarine shape of the Hawaiian hotspot track, which extends from the Hawaiian Islands, through a prominent bend in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The inset shows the volcanoes in the main Hawaiian Islands.
Map of the northwestern U.S., showing the approximate locations of Yellowstone hotspot volcanic fields (orange) and Columbia River Basalts (gray). Boundary of Yellowstone National Park is shown in yellow. Modified from Barry et al. (GSA Special Paper 497, p.
Map of the northwestern U.S., showing the approximate locations of Yellowstone hotspot volcanic fields (orange) and Columbia River Basalts (gray). Boundary of Yellowstone National Park is shown in yellow. Modified from Barry et al. (GSA Special Paper 497, p.
Color-shaded relief topographic map of the track of the Yellowstone hotspot showing the ages and locations of volcanic fields and faulting patterns which become younger to the northeast. Areas in cooler colors (greens and blues) represent low topographic elevations, whereas warmer colors (oranges and reds) represent high elevations. Adapted from
Color-shaded relief topographic map of the track of the Yellowstone hotspot showing the ages and locations of volcanic fields and faulting patterns which become younger to the northeast. Areas in cooler colors (greens and blues) represent low topographic elevations, whereas warmer colors (oranges and reds) represent high elevations. Adapted from
Vectors indicate Pacific Plate motion relative to presumed fixed mantle hot spot in millimeters per year. Gray lines indicate fracture zones. Isochrons along the Emperor Seamounts chain show the age of volcanism in millions of years. Ocean floor ages from imagery available on EarthByte.
Vectors indicate Pacific Plate motion relative to presumed fixed mantle hot spot in millimeters per year. Gray lines indicate fracture zones. Isochrons along the Emperor Seamounts chain show the age of volcanism in millions of years. Ocean floor ages from imagery available on EarthByte.
Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the mantle plume currently underneath Yellowstone caldera. Colors indicate general basaltic (blues) versus rhyolitic (reds) compositions, with shades indicating age (darker shades are older). Rough outlines of calderas that formed due to the Yellowstone hotspot are give
Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the mantle plume currently underneath Yellowstone caldera. Colors indicate general basaltic (blues) versus rhyolitic (reds) compositions, with shades indicating age (darker shades are older). Rough outlines of calderas that formed due to the Yellowstone hotspot are give
Busting Myths About One of the Largest Volcanic Systems in the World - The Top 10 Misconceptions about Yellowstone Volcanism
By Michael Poland, USGS Scientist-in-charge, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
Busting Myths About One of the Largest Volcanic Systems in the World - The Top 10 Misconceptions about Yellowstone Volcanism
By Michael Poland, USGS Scientist-in-charge, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
Map showing the submarine shape of the Hawaiian hotspot track, which extends from the Hawaiian Islands, through a prominent bend in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The inset shows the volcanoes in the main Hawaiian Islands.
Map showing the submarine shape of the Hawaiian hotspot track, which extends from the Hawaiian Islands, through a prominent bend in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The inset shows the volcanoes in the main Hawaiian Islands.
Map of the northwestern U.S., showing the approximate locations of Yellowstone hotspot volcanic fields (orange) and Columbia River Basalts (gray). Boundary of Yellowstone National Park is shown in yellow. Modified from Barry et al. (GSA Special Paper 497, p.
Map of the northwestern U.S., showing the approximate locations of Yellowstone hotspot volcanic fields (orange) and Columbia River Basalts (gray). Boundary of Yellowstone National Park is shown in yellow. Modified from Barry et al. (GSA Special Paper 497, p.
Color-shaded relief topographic map of the track of the Yellowstone hotspot showing the ages and locations of volcanic fields and faulting patterns which become younger to the northeast. Areas in cooler colors (greens and blues) represent low topographic elevations, whereas warmer colors (oranges and reds) represent high elevations. Adapted from
Color-shaded relief topographic map of the track of the Yellowstone hotspot showing the ages and locations of volcanic fields and faulting patterns which become younger to the northeast. Areas in cooler colors (greens and blues) represent low topographic elevations, whereas warmer colors (oranges and reds) represent high elevations. Adapted from
Vectors indicate Pacific Plate motion relative to presumed fixed mantle hot spot in millimeters per year. Gray lines indicate fracture zones. Isochrons along the Emperor Seamounts chain show the age of volcanism in millions of years. Ocean floor ages from imagery available on EarthByte.
Vectors indicate Pacific Plate motion relative to presumed fixed mantle hot spot in millimeters per year. Gray lines indicate fracture zones. Isochrons along the Emperor Seamounts chain show the age of volcanism in millions of years. Ocean floor ages from imagery available on EarthByte.
