The Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are located in the center of the Pacific Ocean. These islands are continuing to be formed by a volcanic hot spot that is located in Earth’s mantle, below an oceanic tectonic plate called the Pacific Plate.

The Pacific Plate moves the islands 3–4 inches toward Japan each year in a northwest direction. Over time, erosion causes the islands to shrink and eventually be submerged under the Pacific Ocean. Below, the map shows the location of the Hawaiian Islands, and the diagram shows the formation of a chain of volcanic islands over a hot spot.

A group of students recognized that the movement of the Pacific Plate to the northwest moves the islands away from the active hot spot. The students also learned that the hot spot has created shield volcanoes that can erupt continuously for years. The Big Island of Hawaii is home to Mauna Loa volcano, Mauna Kea volcano, and the Kilauea Volcano, which has been erupting since 1983.

The students compared the height of Mauna Loa to Mount Rainier. The students recognized that both have a similar height when measured above sea level but that Mauna Loa actually starts 5,000 meters below sea level. Mauna Loa is also much wider than Mount Rainier. Mauna Loa measures 120 kilometers across, and Mount Rainier is only 16 kilometers across.

This question has two parts.

According to the theory of plate tectonics, the movement of tectonic plates starts at mid-ocean ridges, where long chains of volcanoes are located. A student needs to complete the following model to show how the mantle is responsible for the movement of tectonic plates.

This question has two parts.

The table below shows the highest elevation on some of the Hawaiian Islands. A student is developing a graph to show the relationship between the age of each island and its elevation.