geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other Astronomical object, astronomical objects, the features or rock (geology), rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology ...

, hotspots (or hot spots) are

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plat ...

locales thought to be fed by underlying

mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...

that is anomalously hot compared with the surrounding mantle. Examples include the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

, and

Yellowstone hotspot The Yellowstone hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in the United States responsible for large scale volcanism in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Wyoming, formed as the North American tectonic plate moved over it. It formed the eastern Snake Riv ...

s. A hotspot's position on the Earth's surface is independent of tectonic plate boundaries, and so hotspots may create a chain of volcanoes as the plates move above them. There are two hypotheses that attempt to explain their origins. One suggests that hotspots are due to mantle plumes that rise as thermal

diapir A diapir (; , ) is a type of igneous intrusion in which a more mobile and ductily deformable material is forced into brittle overlying rocks. Depending on the tectonic environment, diapirs can range from idealized mushroom-shaped Rayleigh–T ...

s from the core–mantle boundary. The alternative

plate theory In continuum mechanics, plate theories are mathematical descriptions of the mechanics of flat plates that draws on the theory of beams. Plates are defined as plane structural elements with a small thickness compared to the planar dimensions. ...

is that the mantle source beneath a hotspot is not anomalously hot, rather the crust above is unusually weak or thin, so that lithospheric extension permits the passive rising of melt from shallow depths.

Origin

The origins of the concept of hotspots lie in the work of J. Tuzo Wilson, who postulated in 1963 that the formation of the Hawaiian Islands resulted from the slow movement of a tectonic plate across a hot region beneath the surface. It was later postulated that hotspots are fed by narrow streams of hot

rising from the Earth's core–mantle boundary in a structure called a mantle plume. Whether or not such mantle plumes exist is the subject of a major controversy in Earth science. At any place where volcanism is not linked to a constructive or destructive plate margin, the concept of a hotspot has been used to explain its origin. In a review article by Courtillot et al. listing possible hotspots, distinction is made between primary hotspots coming from deep within the mantle (possibly originating from the core/mantle boundary), creating large volcanic provinces with linear tracks (Easter Island, Iceland, Hawaii, Afar, Louisville, Reunion, Tristan confirmed, Galapagos, Kerguelen and Marquersas likely) and secondary hotspots derived from mantle plumes (Samoa, Tahiti, Cook, Pitcairn, Caroline, MacDonald confirmed, up to about 20 possible) at the upper/lower mantle boundary that do not form large volcanic provinces but form island chains. Other potential hotspots are the result of shallow mantle material surfacing in areas of lithospheric break-up caused by tension (and are thus a very different type of volcanism). Estimates for the number of hotspots postulated to be fed by mantle plumes have ranged from about 20 to several thousand, with most geologists considering a few tens to exist.

, Réunion,

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellow ...

, Galápagos, and

are some of the most active volcanic regions to which the hypothesis is applied.

Composition

Most hotspot volcanoes are

basaltic Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron ( mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than ...

(e.g.,

, Tahiti). As a result, they are less explosive than

subduction zone Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at convergent boundaries. Where the oceanic lithosphere of a tectonic plate converges with the less dense lithosphere of a second plate, the ...

volcanoes, in which water is trapped under the overriding plate. Where hotspots occur in continental regions,

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natura ...

rises through the continental crust, which melts to form rhyolites. These rhyolites can form violent eruptions. For example, the

Yellowstone Caldera The Yellowstone Caldera, sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone Supervolcano, is a volcanic caldera and supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park in the Western United States. The caldera and most of the park are located in the northwest corn ...

was formed by some of the most powerful volcanic explosions in geologic history. However, when the rhyolite is completely erupted, it may be followed by eruptions of basaltic magma rising through the same lithospheric fissures (cracks in the lithosphere). An example of this activity is the

Ilgachuz Range The Ilgachuz Range is a name given to an extinct shield volcano in British Columbia, Canada. It is not a mountain range in the normal sense, because it was formed as a single volcano that has been eroded for the past 5 million years. It lies on t ...

in British Columbia, which was created by an early complex series of

trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava enriched with silica and al ...

and rhyolite eruptions, and late extrusion of a sequence of basaltic lava flows. The hotspot hypothesis is now closely linked to the mantle plume hypothesis.

Contrast with subduction zone island arcs

Hotspot volcanoes are considered to have a fundamentally different origin from island arc volcanoes. The latter form over

subduction Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at convergent boundaries. Where the oceanic lithosphere of a tectonic plate converges with the less dense lithosphere of a second plate, ...

zones, at converging plate boundaries. When one oceanic plate meets another, the denser plate is forced downward into a deep ocean trench. This plate, as it is subducted, releases water into the base of the over-riding plate, and this water mixes with the rock, thus changing its composition causing some rock to melt and rise. It is this that fuels a chain of volcanoes, such as the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...

, near

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

Hotspot volcanic chains

The joint mantle plume/hotspot hypothesis envisages the feeder structures to be fixed relative to one another, with the continents and seafloor drifting overhead. The hypothesis thus predicts that time-progressive chains of volcanoes are developed on the surface. Examples are

, which lies at the end of a chain of extinct calderas, which become progressively older to the west. Another example is the Hawaiian archipelago, where islands become progressively older and more deeply eroded to the northwest. Geologists have tried to use hotspot volcanic chains to track the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates. This effort has been vexed by the lack of very long chains, by the fact that many are not time-progressive (e.g. the Galápagos) and by the fact that hotspots do not appear to be fixed relative to one another (e.g.

and

). In 2020, Wei et al. used

seismic tomography Seismic tomography or seismotomography is a technique for imaging the subsurface of the Earth with seismic waves produced by earthquakes or explosions. P-, S-, and surface waves can be used for tomographic models of different resolutions based on ...

to detect the oceanic plateau, formed about 100 million years ago by the hypothesized mantle plume head of the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain, now subducted to a depth of 800 km under eastern Siberia.

Postulated hotspot volcano chains

* Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain ( Hawaii hotspot) * Louisville Ridge ( Louisville hotspot) * Walvis Ridge (Gough and

Tristan hotspot The Tristan hotspot is a volcanic hotspot which is responsible for the volcanic activity which forms the volcanoes in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is thought to have formed the island of Tristan da Cunha and the Walvis Ridge on the African Plat ...

) * Kodiak–Bowie Seamount chain ( Bowie hotspot) * Cobb–Eickelberg Seamount chain (

Cobb hotspot The Cobb hotspot is a marine volcanic hotspot at (46˚ N, 130˚ W), which is 460 km (290 mi) west of Oregon and Washington, North America, in the Pacific Ocean. Over geologic time, the Earth's surface has migrated with respect to the ...

) * New England Seamounts ( New England hotspot) *

Anahim Volcanic Belt The Anahim Volcanic Belt (AVB) is a west–east trending chain of volcanoes and related magmatic features in British Columbia, Canada. It extends from Athlone Island on the Central Coast, running eastward through the strongly uplifted and deeply ...

(

Anahim hotspot The Anahim hotspot is a hypothesized hotspot in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It has been proposed as the candidate source for volcanism in the Anahim Volcanic Belt, a long chain of volcanoes and other magmatic features th ...

) * Mackenzie dike swarm ( Mackenzie hotspot) *

Great Meteor hotspot track The New England hotspot, also referred to as the Great Meteor hotspot and sometimes the Monteregian hotspot, is a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic Ocean. It created the Monteregian Hills intrusions in Montreal and Montérégie, the White ...

( New England hotspot) * St. Helena Seamount Chain– Cameroon Volcanic Line ( Saint Helena hotspot) * Southern Mascarene Plateau– Chagos-Maldives-Laccadive Ridge (

Réunion hotspot The Réunion hotspot is a volcanic hotspot which currently lies under the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. The Chagos-Laccadive Ridge and the southern part of the Mascarene Plateau are volcanic traces of the Réunion hotspot. The hotsp ...

) * Ninety East Ridge ( Kerguelen hotspot) * Tuamotu– Line Island chain ( Easter hotspot) * Austral–

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

– Marshall chain (

Macdonald hotspot The Macdonald hotspot (also known as "Tubuai" or "Old Rurutu") is a volcanic hotspot in the southern Pacific Ocean. The hotspot was responsible for the formation of the Macdonald Seamount, and possibly the Austral-Cook Islands chain. It probabl ...

) *

Juan Fernández Ridge The Juan Fernández Ridge is a volcanic island and seamount chain on the Nazca Plate. It runs in a west–east direction from the Juan Fernández hotspot to the Peru–Chile Trench at a latitude of 33° S near Valparaíso. The Juan Fernández I ...

( Juan Fernández hotspot) *

Tasmantid Seamount Chain The Tasmantid Seamount Chain is a long chain of seamounts in the South Pacific Ocean. The chain consists of over 16 extinct volcanic peaks, many rising more than from the seabed. It is one of the two parallel seamount chains alongside the ...

(

Tasmantid hotspot The Tasmantid hotspot is a volcanic hotspot located in the South Pacific Ocean. Due to plate tectonics the hotspot was under different parts of the seabed in the past. It was initially centred under what is now the southern Coral Sea 60 m ...

) *

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

( Canary hotspot) *

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

( Cape Verde hotspot)

List of volcanic regions postulated to be hotspots

Eurasian Plate

Eifel hotspot The Eifel hotspot is a volcanism, volcanic hotspot (geology), hotspot in Western Germany. It is one of many recent volcanic formations in and around the Eifel mountain range and includes the volcanic field known as Volcanic Eifel. Although the las ...

(8) ** , w= 1 az= 082° ±8° rate= 12 ±2 mm/yr *

Iceland hotspot The Iceland hotspot is a hotspot which is partly responsible for the high volcanic activity which has formed the Iceland Plateau and the island of Iceland. Iceland is one of the most active volcanic regions in the world, with eruptions occu ...

(14) ** *** Eurasian Plate, w= .8 az= 075° ±10° rate= 5 ±3 mm/yr *** North American Plate, w= .8 az= 287° ±10° rate= 15 ±5 mm/yr ** Possibly related to the North Atlantic continental rifting (62 Ma),

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland ...

. *

Azores hotspot The Azores hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. The Azores is relatively young and is associated with a bathymetric swell, a gravity anomaly and ocean island basalt geochemistry. The Azores hotspot lies just east of the ...

(1) ** *** Eurasian Plate, w= .5 az= 110° ±12° *** North American Plate, w= .3 az= 280° ±15° * Jan Mayen hotspot (15) ** * Hainan hotspot (46) ** , az= 000° ±15°

African Plate

* Mount Etna (47) ** *

Hoggar The Hoggar Mountains ( ar, جبال هقار, Berber: ''idurar n Ahaggar'') are a highland region in the central Sahara in southern Algeria, along the Tropic of Cancer. The mountains cover an area of approximately 550,000 km. Geography This ...

hotspot (13) ** , w= .3 az= 046° ±12° *

Tibesti The Tibesti Mountains are a mountain range in the central Sahara, primarily located in the extreme north of Chad, with a small portion located in southern Libya. The highest peak in the range, Emi Koussi, lies to the south at a height of an ...

hotspot (40) ** , w= .2 az= 030° ±15° * Jebel Marra/Darfur hotspot (6) ** , w= .5 az= 045° ±8° * Afar hotspot (29, misplaced in map) ** , w= .2 az= 030° ±15° rate= 16 ±8 mm/yr ** Possibly related to the

Afar Triple Junction The Afar Triple Junction (also called the Afro-Arabian Rift System) is located along a divergent plate boundary dividing the Nubian, Somali, and Arabian plates. This area is considered a present-day example of continental rifting leading to s ...

, 30 Ma. *

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the ...

hotspot (17) ** , w= .3 az= 032° ±3° rate= 15 ±5 mm/yr *

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

hotspot (48) ** , w= .3 az= 055° ±15° rate= 8 ±3 mm/yr * Canary hotspot (18) ** , w= 1 az= 094° ±8° rate= 20 ±4 mm/yr * New England/Great Meteor hotspot (28) ** , w= .8 az= 040° ±10° *

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

hotspot (19) ** , w= .2 az= 060° ±30° * Sierra Leone hotspot * St. Helena hotspot (34) ** , w= 1 az= 078° ±5° rate= 20 ±3 mm/yr *

Gough Gough ( ) is a surname. The surname probably derives from the Welsh (English: "red"), given as a nickname to someone with red hair or a red complexion or as a reduced form of the Irish McGough which itself is an Anglicized form of Gaelic , a patr ...

hotspot (49), at 40°19' S 9°56' W. ** , w= .8 az= 079° ±5° rate= 18 ±3 mm/yr *

(42), at 37°07′ S 12°17′ W. ** *

Vema hotspot Vema Seamount is a seamount in the South Atlantic Ocean. Discovered in 1959 by a ship with the same name, it lies from Tristan da Cunha and northwest of Cape Town. The seamount has a flat top at a mean depth of which was eroded into the seamou ...

(Vema Seamount, 43), at 31°38' S 8°20' E. ** ** Related maybe to the Paraná and Etendeka traps (c. 132 Ma) through the Walvis Ridge. * Discovery hotspot (50) ( Discovery Seamounts) ** , w= 1 az= 068° ±3° * Bouvet hotspot (51) ** * Shona/Meteor hotspot (27) ** , w= .3 az= 074° ±6° *

(33) ** , w= .8 az= 047° ±10° rate= 40 ±10 mm/yr ** Possibly related to the

Deccan Traps The Deccan Traps is a large igneous province of west-central India (17–24°N, 73–74°E). It is one of the largest volcanic features on Earth, taking the form of a large shield volcano. It consists of numerous layers of solidified flo ...

(main events: 68.5–66 Ma) *

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

hotspot (21) ** , w= .5 az=118 ±10° rate=35 ±10 mm/yr

Antarctic Plate

* Marion hotspot (25) ** , w= .5 az= 080° ±12° * Crozet hotspot (52) ** , w= .8 az= 109° ±10° rate= 25 ±13 mm/yr ** Possibly related to the Karoo-Ferrar geologic province (183 Ma) * Kerguelen hotspot (20) ** , w= .2 az= 050° ±30° rate= 3 ±1 mm/yr **

Île Saint-Paul Île Saint-Paul (Saint Paul Island) is an island forming part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (''Terres australes et antarctiques françaises'', TAAF) in the Indian Ocean, with an area of . The island is located about south of the la ...

and

Île Amsterdam Île Amsterdam (), also known as Amsterdam Island and New Amsterdam (''Nouvelle-Amsterdam''), is an island of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands in the southern Indian Ocean that together with neighbouring Île Saint-Paul to the south ...

could be part of the Kerguelen hotspot trail (St. Paul is probably not another hotspot) ** Related maybe to the

Kerguelen Plateau The Kerguelen Plateau (, ), also known as the Kerguelen–Heard Plateau, is an oceanic plateau and a large igneous province (LIP) located on the Antarctic Plate, in the southern Indian Ocean. It is about to the southwest of Australia and is ...

(130 Ma) * Heard hotspot (53) ** , w= .2 az= 030° ±20° * Balleny hotspot (2) ** , w= .2 az= 325° ±7° * Erebus hotspot (54) **

South American Plate

* Trindade/Martin Vaz hotspot (41) ** , w= 1 az= 264° ±5° * Fernando hotspot (9) ** , w= 1 az= 266° ±7° ** Possibly related to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (c. 200 Ma) * Ascension hotspot (55) **

North American Plate

* Bermuda hotspot (56) ** , w= .3 az= 260° ±15° *

(44) ** , w= .8 az= 235° ±5° rate= 26 ±5 mm/yr ** Possibly related to the Columbia River Basalt Group (17–14 Ma). * Raton hotspot (32) ** , w= 1 az= 240°±4° rate= 30 ±20 mm/yr *

(45) ** ( Nazko Cone)

Australian Plate

* Lord Howe hotspot (22) ** , w= .8 az= 351° ±10° *

(39) ** , w= .8 az= 007° ±5° rate= 63 ±5 mm/yr *

East Australia hotspot The East Australia hotspot is a volcanic province in southeast Australia which includes the Peak Range in central Queensland, the Main Range on the Queensland-New South Wales border, Tweed Volcano in New South Wales, and the Newer Volcanics ...

(30) ** , w= .3 az= 000° ±15° rate= 65 ±3 mm/yr

Nazca Plate

* Juan Fernández hotspot (16) ** , w= 1 az= 084° ±3° rate= 80 ±20 mm/yr * San Felix hotspot (36) ** , w= .3 az= 083° ±8° * Easter hotspot (7) ** , w= 1 az= 087° ±3° rate= 95 ±5 mm/yr * Galápagos hotspot (10) ** *** Nazca Plate, w= 1 az= 096° ±5° rate= 55 ±8 mm/yr *** Cocos Plate, w= .5 az= 045° ±6° ** Possibly related to the Caribbean large igneous province (main events: 95–88 Ma).

Pacific Plate

* Louisville hotspot (23) ** , w= 1 az= 316° ±5° rate= 67 ±5 mm/yr ** Possibly related to the

Ontong Java Plateau The Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) is a massive oceanic plateau located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of the Solomon Islands. The OJP was formed around (Ma) with a much smaller volcanic event around 90 Ma. Two other southwestern Pacifi ...

(125–120 Ma). *

Foundation hotspot Foundation Seamounts are a series of seamounts in the southern Pacific Ocean. Discovered in 1992, these seamounts form a long chain which starts from the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. Some of these seamounts may have once emerged from the ocean. T ...

Ngatemato seamounts Ngatemato seamounts (Name derived from a ruling family in Rapa) are a series of seamounts in the southern Pacific Ocean. These seamounts have the shape of ridges and display calderas. The Aureka () and Make () seamounts are part of the Ngatemat ...

(57) ** , w= 1 az= 292° ±3° rate= 80 ±6 mm/yr *

(24) ** , w= 1 az= 289° ±6° rate= 105 ±10 mm/yr * North Austral/President Thiers (

President Thiers Bank President Thiers Bank is a broad guyot, which lies northwest of Rapa and southeast of Raivavae, in the Austral Islands. Its summit reaches a depth of . It may have been created by the Macdonald hotspot. Another theory sees in the seamount the en ...

, 58) ** , w= (1.0) azim= 293° ± 3° rate= 75 ±15 mm/yr *

Arago hotspot Arago hotspot is a hotspot in the Pacific Ocean, presently located below the Arago seamount close to the island of Rurutu, French Polynesia. Arago is part of a family of hotspots in the southern Pacific, which include the Society hotspot and the ...

(Arago Seamount, 59) ** , w= 1 azim= 296° ±4° rate= 120 ±20 mm/yr * Maria/Southern Cook hotspot (

Îles Maria Îles Maria or simply Maria, also known as Hull Island, is a small coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Its original name is Nororotu. The nearest island is Rimatara situated to the ESE. The atoll consists of four islets (''îles''), with a dens ...

, 60) ** , w= 0.8 az= 300° ±4° * Samoa hotspot (35) ** , w= .8 az= 285°±5° rate= 95 ±20 mm/yr * Crough hotspot (

Crough Seamount Crough Seamount (named after the geologist Thomas Crough) is a seamount in the Pacific Ocean, within the exclusive economic zone of Pitcairn. It rises to a depth of and is paired with a taller but overall smaller seamount to the east. This seam ...

, 61) ** , w= .8 az= 284° ± 2° * Pitcairn hotspot (31) ** , w= 1 az= 293° ±3° rate= 90 ±15 mm/yr * Society/Tahiti hotspot (38) ** , w= .8 az= 295°±5° rate= 109 ±10 mm/yr *

Marquesas hotspot The Marquesas hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is responsible for the creation of the Marquesas Islands – a group of eight main islands and several smaller ones – and a few seamounts. The islands and seamounts for ...

(26) ** , w= .5 az= 319° ±8° rate= 93 ±7 mm/yr *

Caroline Caroline may refer to: People *Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...

hotspot (4) ** , w= 1 az= 289° ±4° rate= 135 ±20 mm/yr * Hawaii hotspot (12) ** , w= 1 az= 304° ±3° rate= 92 ±3 mm/yr * Socorro/Revillagigedos hotspot (37) ** * Guadalupe hotspot (11) ** , w= .8 az= 292° ±5° rate= 80 ±10 mm/yr *

(5) ** , w= 1 az= 321° ±5° rate= 43 ±3 mm/yr * Bowie/Pratt-Welker hotspot (3) ** , w=.8 az= 306° ±4° rate= 40 ±20 mm/yr

Former hotspots

* Euterpe/Musicians hotspot (

Musicians Seamounts Musicians Seamounts are a chain of seamounts in the Pacific Ocean, north of the Hawaiian ridge, Hawaiian Ridge. There are about 65 seamounts, some of which are named after musicians. These seamounts exist in two chains, one of which has been attr ...

) * Mackenzie hotspot * Matachewan hotspot

References

External links

Formation of Hotspots

Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs)

Maria Antretter, PhD Thesis (2001): ''Moving hotspots – Evidence from paleomagnetism and modeling''

Do Plumes Exist?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotspot (Geology) Plate tectonics Volcanology * Structure of the Earth