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Volcanoes are openings in the Earth’s crust where magma, gases, and ash come out. Most volcanoes are formed at the edges of tectonic plates, but some are created by hot spots. Hot spots are very hot areas in the Earth’s mantle. From these hot areas, columns of hot rock, called mantle plumes, rise toward the surface.
When a mantle plume reaches near the Earth’s surface, it melts the rock above it and forms magma. This magma rises and erupts as a volcano. Unlike normal volcanoes at plate boundaries, hot spot volcanoes can appear in the middle of plates.
A famous example of a hot spot volcano is the Hawaiian Islands. They were formed because of a mantle plume under the Pacific Plate. Other examples include Yellowstone in the USA and Iceland. Hot spot volcanoes usually produce basaltic lava, which is runny and spreads over large areas.
Hot spot volcanoes show how the Earth’s heat from inside can shape the surface. They also help us understand mantle plumes and the movement of Earth’s mantle, which is important in geology and Earth science.
In short, volcanoes caused by hot spots happen because of mantle plumes, not because of ash or gases. These plumes push magma to the surface, forming islands or mountains over time.
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