Which of the following islands is entirely volcanic in origin and located over a ‘Hotspot’?
The Hawaiian Islands are entirely volcanic and located over a hotspot. Unlike most volcanoes, these are not at plate boundaries. Instead, a stationary mantle plume provides a constant source of heat and magma. As the Pacific Plate moves slowly over this hotspot, a chain of volcanic islands is formed, with the youngest islands currently over the plume. ANSWER: (C) Hawaii
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Hawaii is the premier example of hotspot volcanism located in the middle of the Pacific Plate. A mantle plume—a localized column of intense heat—melts the overlying plate to create magma. Because the hotspot remains fixed while the tectonic plate moves northwestward, it creates a chronological trail of islands. The Big Island of Hawaii is currently situated directly over the plume and remains active. Older islands, like Kauai, have moved away from the heat source and are now extinct. This geographic process demonstrates the motion of tectonic plates relative to the Earth’s deep interior.