Volcanic hotspots are permanent and localized regions of intense volcanic activity on Earth’s surface, typically found in the interior of tectonic plates, far from convergent and divergent plate boundaries, where magma rises from the mantle to create volcanoes and geothermal features. Around 40 to 50 volcanic hotspots are known to exist around the world. Some examples include the Iceland hotspot, the Afar hotspot, and the Louisville hotspot.

Key Characteristics of Volcanic Hotspots:

• Origin: Hotspots, such as the Galapagos Islands, Reunion Island, and Iceland, are believed to stem from deep-seated mantle plumes, where hot material ascends from the Earth’s mantle. This elevated heat flow causes magma to rise to the surface, leading to volcanic eruptions.
• Persistent Volcanism: Hotspots exhibit prolonged and consistent volcanic activity over millions of years, leading to the formation of long volcanic chains or island chains. For instance, the formation of a volcanic island chain above the Hawaiian hot spot beneath the Pacific plate has been occurring for at least 70 million years.
• Volcanic Island Chains: Volcanic hotspots often give rise to linear chains of volcanic islands or seamounts. These chains are the result of the consistent eruption of magma from a fixed mantle plume hotspot while the overlying tectonic plate moves gradually. The Emperor-Hawaiian seamount chain, located over the Hawaiian hotspot in the Pacific Ocean, provides an example.
• Lack of Tectonic Plate Boundaries: Unlike most volcanoes, which form at plate boundaries, hotspot volcanoes often emerge within a plate, away from tectonic plate boundaries. Also, Volcanic hotspots have a relatively fixed or stationary source of magma deep within the Earth’s mantle unlike tectonic plate boundries. Reunion island serves as an example of an intraplate volcanic hotspot.
• Aging of Volcanoes: Volcanic islands or volcanoes formed by hotspots tend to become older as you move away from the current hotspot location. This results in a progression from young, active volcanoes to older, eroded ones. For example, the Hawaiian Islands display this aging pattern, with the Big Island (Hawaii) being the youngest and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands being much older and eroded.
• Other Geological Activities: Hotspots can also manifest distinctive geological activities like hot springs, geysers, and unique geological features in addition to volcanic eruptions. For example, Yellowstone National Park (US) is situated over the Yellowstone hotspot and features geysers such as Old Faithful, hot springs, and geothermal activity alongside its famous volcanic history.

Volcanic hotspots are enigmatic geological phenomena that offer invaluable insights into Earth’s geological evolution, and deep interior processes. By unraveling the intricacies of these hotspots, we can enhance our comprehension of our dynamic planet, with far-reaching implications for both scientific understanding and environmental stewardship.