Final answer:
The statement that hot-spot plumes originate at the crust-mantle boundary is false; they actually originate from the core-mantle boundary. Mantle plumes can cause volcanism away from plate boundaries and can occur under both oceanic and continental plates.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main answer to the student's question about the mantle plume model is that the FALSE statement is number 2), which suggests that hot-spot plumes are thought to originate at the crust-mantle boundary. In fact, according to the mantle plume model, these hot-spot plumes are thought to be generated at the core-mantle boundary, not the crust-mantle boundary. Mantle plumes consist of exceptionally hot rock that rises through the mantle because it is less dense than the surrounding rock, and when it reaches near the surface, the heat from the plumes can cause the overlying lithosphere to melt, forming magma that can lead to volcano formation.Explanation in more than 100 words:Mantle plumes can indeed drive the formation of volcanoes that do not coincide with any plate boundary, as hot-spot activity is independent of plate movements. The presence of such hot-spots can help explain volcanic activity in areas such as Hawaii, which is not located on a plate boundary. These plumes can exist beneath both oceanic plates and continental plates, and the resulting volcanism can exhibit different characteristics depending on the composition of the crust above the hot-spot.Conclusion:To summarize, the correct information about mantle plume theory is that hot-spot plumes are less dense and therefore rise slowly, they originate from the core-mantle boundary, they can create volcanoes away from plate boundaries, and they can occur beneath both oceanic and continental plates.