GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Volcanoes can also form in the middle of a plate, where magma rises upward until it erupts on the seafloor, at what is called a “hot spot.” The Hawaiian Islands were formed by such a hot spot occurring in the middle of the Pacific Plate.

Detailed explanation-2: -Volcanoes. Over its 85 million year history, the Hawaii hotspot has created at least 129 volcanoes, more than 123 of which are extinct volcanoes, seamounts, and atolls, four of which are active volcanoes, and two of which are dormant volcanoes.

Detailed explanation-3: -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-4: -The Hawaiian Islands are volcanic in origin. Each island is made up of at least one primary volcano, although many islands are composites of more than one. The Big Island, for instance, is constructed of 5 major volcanoes: Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Hualalai and Kohala.

Detailed explanation-5: -Tectonic plates are constantly in motion and are responsible for volcanoes and events like earthquakes. With the Hawaiian Islands, the Pacific Plate is continually moving to the northwest over the Hawaiian hotspot. This movement caused the Hawaiian chain of islands to form.