Geography
How Volcanic Hotspots Create Chains of Seamounts and Guyots
Quick fact
The Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain is over 5,800 kilometers long and includes at least 80 volcanoes, with the oldest dated to about 80 million years old—far older than the current islands.
Why this is interesting
Have you ever wondered how the Hawaiian Islands—and the long trail of underwater mountains stretching to the northwest—formed? What could possibly create a chain of volcanoes in the middle of an ocean plate?