The diagram below gives the information about the Hawaiian island chain in the centre of the Pacific Ocean.

The diagram portrays the Hawaiian island chain, which is located in the centre of the Pacific

Ocean

, and

also

shows how volcanic eruption occurs.

Overall

, it is formed of volcanoes, and the active ones are at the southeast tip of the archipelago, where Hawaii itself is situated. The Hawaiian island chain directly affects the Pacific tectonic plate, and because of it,

this

plate shifts 7-9 centimetres per year. The chain began to form almost 80 million years ago on a solid, dense rock bed, and each island started to evolve after an eruption on the seafloor.

First,

a `hot spot' exists on the

ocean

bed, which lets out a plume of the material called '

magma

'.

Subsequently

, the hot spot remains stable.

Hence

,

magma

spume forms.

This

magma

may originate as deep as 2,883 km below the

ocean

bed.

Next,

further

eruptions take place, which build up the volcano. Eventually, the volcano emerges above the surface of the

ocean

. Afterwards, the spume of

magma

remains immobile as the Pacific tectonic plate moves in a northwest direction across it at an annual speed of 7-9 centimetres. As it moves, a volcano forms as it passes over the hotspot and

then

becomes inactive when it has passed it. Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai, and Kahoolaw are the other major islands in the Pacific

Ocean

which are 0-100 kilometres away from each other.