Hot Spots

Volcanoes usually occur At plate boundaries: However…

volcanoes can occur in the middle of a Tectonic plate Hot Spots are also known as Intraplate Volcanism A Hot Spot is an area of volcanic activity that is far from a plate boundary Most hot spots are located directly above columns of rising magma, called mantle plumes The Hawaiian Islands and Yellowstone are examples More than 40 are known and have lasted for millions of years

A chain of islands (with different ages) is created as the plate moves over the mantle plume The oldest island (Kauai) does not have active Volcanoes since it is no longer over the plume The youngest island is directly above it

This island has been eroded so much that it is now below the ocean floor and would be called a seamount Which direction is the pacific plate moving in? How could you use this data to determine the speed of plate movement?