Why there are volcanoes in Hawaii?
The current theory for why there are volcanoes
in Hawaii relates them to a hotspot that may start in the
liquid core of the Earth. This causes the overlying mantle
to heat up and rise. As the mantle rises as a "plume", it
eventually melts as it approaches the crust (surface) and
produces volcanoes.
The fact that these volcanoes are aligned is
thought to be related to the movement of the surface or plate
over the non-moving plume.
Dr. Mike Garcia, Professor
Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology
University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI 96822
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