GEOLOGY

EARTH SCIENCE

TECTONICS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
The Hawaiian islands have formed as the Pacific plate moves over ____
A
a subduction zone
B
an ocean ridge
C
the Aleutian plate
D
a hot spot
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -The Hawaiian Islands were formed by such a hot spot occurring in the middle of the Pacific Plate. While the hot spot itself is fixed, the plate is moving. So, as the plate moved over the hot spot, the string of islands that make up the Hawaiian Island chain were formed.

Detailed explanation-2: -This upwelling of molten rock, known as a “hot spot, ” creates volcanoes that spew out lava (magma that reaches Earth’s surface). The lava then cools and hardens to create new land. The Hawaiian Islands were literally created from lots of volcanoes-they’re a trail of volcanic eruptions.

Detailed explanation-3: -(3) Transform Boundaries Tectonic Plates and Active Volcanoes of the World: Most active volcanoes are located along or near the boundaries of Earth’s shifting tectonic plates. Hawaiian volcanoes, however, occur in the middle of the Pacific Plate and are formed by volcanism over the Hawaiian “Hot Spot” (see text).

Detailed explanation-4: -The active hot spot lies near the center of the Pacific plate, under the southeastern end of the Island chain. The rising magma plumes and subsequent eruptions have created the Island chain. As noted in the previous section, the Pacific plate is moving toward the northwest in the Hawaiian Islands region.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Hawaiʻi hotspot is a volcanic hotspot located near the namesake Hawaiian Islands, in the northern Pacific Ocean.

There is 1 question to complete.