The diagram below gives the information about the Hawaiian island chain in the centre of the Pacific Ocean. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.

The diagram illustrates the formation of the Hawaiian

island

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chain in the central Pacific Ocean

as a result

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of volcanic activity associated with a stationary hot

spot

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beneath the Earth’s crust.

Overall

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, the Hawaiian Islands were formed sequentially as the Pacific tectonic plate moved northwestwards over a fixed mantle hot

spot

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, causing a series of volcanic eruptions. As the plate continued to shift, older volcanoes became inactive

while

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new ones developed, resulting in an age gradient across the

island

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chain. At the base of the process, a plume of magma rises from a hot

spot

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located approximately 2,883 kilometres beneath the Earth’s surface. As magma reaches the ocean floor, repeated eruptions lead to the accumulation of solid rock, gradually building volcanic mountains that eventually emerge above sea level to form islands. The youngest volcano develops directly above the hot

spot

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and continues to grow through frequent eruptions. Meanwhile, the Pacific plate moves at a rate of approximately 7–9 centimetres per year, carrying older islands away from the hot

spot

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. As these volcanoes drift

further

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from the magma source, they become extinct and erode over time.

This

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explains why the oldest volcanic rocks, dating back around 80 million years, are found at the far end of the

island

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chain,

while

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the youngest volcanic activity occurs on the

island

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of Hawaii.