Hot Spots Flashcards
(7 cards)
What are hotspot volcanoes?
Hotspot volcanoes are volcanic eruptions that occur away from plate boundaries, such as the Hawaiian volcanoes within the Pacific Plate.
What is a volcanic hotspot?
A volcanic hotspot is an area in the mantle where heat rises as a thermal plume from deep within the Earth.
How does magma form at a hotspot?
High heat and lower pressure at the base of the lithosphere enable the melting of rock, forming magma.
What happens to magma after it forms?
The molten material, or magma, rises through cracks and erupts to form active volcanoes on the Earth’s surface.
What occurs as tectonic plates move over a hotspot?
As tectonic plates move over a stationary hotspot, the volcanoes are rafted away and new ones form in their place.
What happens to oceanic volcanoes as they move away from a hotspot?
Oceanic volcanoes cool and subside, producing older islands, atolls, and seamounts.
What can long-term activity of hotspot volcanoes create?
Over long periods, this can create chains of volcanoes, such as the Hawaiian Islands.
