Why do the Hawaiian Islands form a chain of volcanoes?
A) The mantle below flows slowly to the east, creating new volcanoes as it goes.
B) The Hawaiian Islands are not part of a chain. They are over a stationary hotspot in the lithosphere.
C) The crack in the lithosphere is progressively splitting eastward, permitting magma to rise along a line.
D) The top of the basalt plume in the deep mantle is dragged eastward by moving lithosphere.
E) The lithosphere carrying Hawaii slowly moves over a hotspot feeding basalt magma to the overlying volcano.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Hawaiian Islands form a chain of volcanoes because the Pacific Plate is moving over a stationary hotspot in the mantle, which feeds magma to the surface, creating volcanoes. As the plate moves, new volcanoes form over the hotspot, creating a chain.

Why Do the Hawaiian Islands Form a Chain of Volcanoes