Question

Write a summary explaining how the Hawaiian Islands are forming (include the future of the Hawaiian Islands)

Answer 1

On the Earth's outer crust, there are plates of rock that move called tectonic plates. When the Earth's tectonic plates come together, they form volcanoes. The islands of Hawaii actually sit in the middle of the Pacific Plate on a hot spot.

A hot spot is an area that is so warm that magma, or lava that sits inside of the rocks in a volcano, erupts and falls to the bottom of the ocean. Since Hawaii is located on a hot spot, it is very common for volcanoes to form and erupt there.

Over millions of years, five volcanoes erupted to create the eight islands of Hawaii. These volcanoes are Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, Kilauea, and Kohala.

Answer 2

The Hawaiian Islands were formed by such a hot spot occurring in the middle of the Pacific Plate. While the hot spot itself is fixed, the plate is moving. So, as the plate moved over the hot spot, the string of islands that make up the Hawaiian Island chain were formed.