Final answer:
The statement is false; seamounts do not form from ancient tablemounts. Seamounts are younger volcanic features that can erode into tablemounts, which are flat-topped due to extensive erosion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that seamounts form from ancient tablemounts is false. Seamounts and tablemounts represent different stages in the life cycle of a volcanic seamount. Seamounts emerge as a result of volcanic activity and may later become tablemounts when they are significantly eroded to a flat top. Tablemounts, also known as guyots, are typically older than seamounts because they have been subject to more prolonged erosion. The confusion between seamounts forming from tablemounts might stem from the fact that they are both seabed features shaped by volcanic activity and subject to erosion over time.
Consider the formation process of the Appalachian/Caledonide Mountains and the seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska. These processes involve different geological and tectonic activities such as mountain building, volcanic eruptions, and the shifting of tectonic plates. As a consequence, seamounts could potentially erode into tablemounts, but not form from them since they represent an earlier stage rather than a later stage in the geological progression.