Oceanic Hot Spots

A Chain of Volcanoes is created by the moving plate: The hotspot stays in one place while the plate moves over it Click here for a visualization

Examples of Lava Flows on Kilauea

Magma Type?Silica?Explosive? Magma Formation Lava Landform Plate Tectonics Where on Earth BasalticLOWRarely Increase in temperature Flows: Pahoehoe, Aa, Pillow Does not occur at a plate boundary Shield Volcano, Chain of Islands Hawaii, Iceland

Continental Hot Spots

Yellowstone About 600,000 years ago: –HUGE volcanic eruptions occurred in Yellowstone, emptying a large underground magma chamber. –Volcanic debris spread for thousands of square miles in a matter of minutes. –The roof of this chamber collapsed, forming a giant smoldering pit. –This caldera was 30 miles (45 km) across, 45 miles (75 km) long, and several thousand feet deep. –Eventually the caldera was filled with lava.

15-13mya

Obsidian: Volcanic glass are common rhyolitic flows

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is made out of rhyolite.

Basalt flows can also occur at continental hot spots because some of the magma comes directly from the mantle.

Magma Type?Silica?Explosive? Magma Formation Lava Landform Plate Tectonics Where on Earth RhyoliticHIGHExtremely Increase in temperature MAINLY Rhyolitic Flows (Obsidian), but also Basaltic flows. In Yellowstone this formed a caldera. Does not occur at a plate boundary. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming and Montana