1.1c- Too Hot To Handle

Question 1

What is a volcanic hotspot?

Answer 1

An area in the mantle from which heat rises as a thermal plume from deep within the earth.

Question 2

Why does heat rise as a thermal plume in the mantle?

Answer 2

Due to high heat and lower pressure at the base of the lithosphere which facilitates the melting of the rock. The magma then rises rises through the cracks in the crust.

Question 3

What causes the formation of a chain of volcanoes such as the Hawaiian islands?

Answer 3

As the tectonic plate moves over the stationary hot spot, the volcanoes are rafted away and new ones form in their place.

Question 4

Do hotspots only occur at a plate boundary?

Answer 4

No, hotspots occur in a random manner, sometimes even in the centre of a plate depending on whether the mantle in that area is undergoing lower pressure.

Question 5

What are some spectacular landforms created by hotspots and where can they be found?

Answer 5

Geysers can be found in the Yellowstone National park including the caldera of a super volcano created 640,000 years ago