GEOL 303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Mantle Plume, Aleutian Trench, Halemaumau Crater
Document Summary
Hawaiian hotspot track - eight small hawaiian islands are part of a much larger chain of volcanic islands and under water seamounts that extend as far north as the aleutian subduction zone. Ages of these islands get progressively older to the northwest. Big island today is underlain by hot mantle plume that is largely stationary. Plate motion over the plume has resulted in progressively older volcanic islands to the northwest along the entire hotspot track of the hawaii and emperor volcanic chains. Big island of hawaii is composed of five coalesced shield volcanoes. Kilauea contains a caldera at its summit which in turn contains a well-known crater (halemaumau) There are two major rift zones that radiate away from the kilauea caldera, the east rift and the. Initial eruptions generated basalt lava flows that flowed downhill to the coast along the southeast side of the island. Generates very fluid basalt lava, looking like a water fountain.
