Question

question 15 (1 point)
some volcanic islands are created by a hot spot in the middle of a plate. the diagram below shows the hawaiian islands.

• the oldest island, kauai, is northwest of the big island of hawaii, which is still volcanically active.
• from this information, what can be inferred about the movement of the pacific plate over the hot spot?

a the pacific plate is stationary, and the hot spot moves northwest
b the pacific plate is moving northwest, leaving older islands behind as new ones form over the hot spot
c the hot spot is moving southeast while the pacific plate moves northeast
d each island formed in place without plate movement

Explanation:

Hot - spot volcanism occurs when a stationary hot spot (a plume of magma from the mantle) is overlaid by a moving tectonic plate. As the plate moves, new volcanic islands form over the hot spot, while the older islands are carried away. In the case of the Hawaiian Islands, since the oldest island (Kauai) is northwest of the still - active Big Island (Hawaii), it implies that the plate (Pacific Plate) is moving in a direction that takes the older parts of the plate (with the older islands) away from the hot spot.

Answer:

B. The Pacific Plate is moving northwest, leaving older islands behind as new ones form over the hot spot.