Tag Archives: hotspot

Hotspot volcanism on Hawaii: textbook vs reality

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Chris Rowan

Just like an iceberg, the parts of the Hawaiian Islands that you see above the ocean surface are dwarfed in volume by the stuff below the waves. For a start, any volcano that forms in the middle of the Pacific … Continue reading →

Categories: geology, outcrops, photos, tectonics, volcanoes

Yellowstone: what lies beneath

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Chris Rowan

The best evidence yet that the Yellowstone hotspot is the result of a mantle plume – one that had to burn through a subducting slab to get to the surface. Continue reading →

Categories: geophysics, paper reviews, volcanoes

Geology on an epic scale: the Yellowstone caldera

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Chris Rowan

To those with even a little geological knowledge, the view that presents itself as you drive into Yellowstone National Park through the South Entrance may not be quite what you expect. The park encompasses the giant caldera of a hotspot-fuelled … Continue reading →

Categories: outcrops, photos, volcanoes