What are hot spots and how do the volcanoes formed differ from those formed elsewhere?

The molten rock, known as magma, often pushes through cracks in the crust to form volcanoes. Hotspot volcanism is unique because it does not occur at the boundaries of Earth's tectonic plates, where all other volcanism occurs. Instead, it occurs at abnormally hot centers known as mantle plumes.

Are the Cascade Mountains a hot spot?

* As the Juan de Fuca plate continues to subduct beneath the North American plate, the melting asthenospheric mantle pushes magma upward. Over the past 37 million years, this activity has created the area known as the Cascade Volcanic Arc. Areas simply called Hot Spots also contribute to the volcanic nature of the Northwest.

What are the differences between hot island arcs and hotspot volcanoes?

An island arc forms at a convergent plate boundary where one oceanic plate sinks beneath another oceanic plate. A hot spot volcano forms in continental or oceanic crust where magma from the mantle erupts. Hotspot volcanoes are often far from plate boundaries.

What does a hot spot in the mantle do?

A hot spot is where a plate moves over a stationary mantle plume. Hot-spots are responsible for island chains, such as those seen in Hawaii, which form when the plate slides over the plume, or even volcanoes on land, such as Yellowstone.

How are the volcanoes of the Cascade Range formed?

The Cascade Range is formed by volcanoes created from the subduction of oceanic crust beneath the North American continent. The Pacific Ring of Fire is where most of the volcanic activity on Earth takes place.

How are hotspots related to tectonic plate boundaries?

A hotspot's position on the Earth's surface is independent of tectonic plate boundaries, and therefore hotspots can create a chain of volcanoes as the plates move over them. There are two hypotheses that try to explain their origin. One suggests that hotspots result from mantle plumes rising as thermal diapirs from the core-mantle boundary.

How does a hot spot in the Earth form a volcano?

The lava cools and forms a volcano. The hot spot itself never changes position, but the tectonic plates are constantly moving, so the volcano formed will "move" with the tectonic plate in the direction the tectonic plate is going, but at the same time will not stop produce lava.