Question

1. do the islands appear to be the same age, or are they older at one end of the chain or another? explain what evidence supports your conclusion.
2. where are new volcanoes forming?
3. what is the direction of the plate and how does this compare to the trend in direction of the island chain?
4. based on these observations and what you have learned in the lessons, develop a hypothesis about how the hawaiian island chain is forming.

Explanation:

1. In a volcanic - island chain like the Hawaiian Islands, the islands are not the same age. The older islands are at one end of the chain. This is supported by the fact that the older islands are more eroded and have lower elevations compared to the younger ones.
2. New volcanoes are forming near the hotspot. In the case of the Hawaiian Islands, new volcanic activity is occurring near the Big Island (Hawaii Island) where the Pacific Plate is moving over a stationary hotspot.
3. The Pacific Plate is moving in a north - west direction. The island chain trends in a north - west to south - east direction. The direction of the plate movement is consistent with the trend of the island chain, as the islands form as the plate moves over the hotspot.
4. A hypothesis for the formation of the Hawaiian Island chain is that the Pacific Plate is moving over a stationary mantle hotspot. Magma rises from the hotspot, creating volcanoes on the ocean floor. As the plate moves, new volcanoes form over the hotspot while the older ones move away from it, gradually eroding over time.

Answer:

1. The islands are not the same age. The older islands are at one end (usually the north - western end in the case of the Hawaiian Islands) as evidenced by higher levels of erosion and lower elevations.
2. New volcanoes are forming near the hotspot, close to the Big Island of Hawaii.
3. The Pacific Plate is moving in a north - west direction. The island chain trends north - west to south - east, which is consistent with the plate movement direction.
4. The Hawaiian Island chain is forming as the Pacific Plate moves over a stationary mantle hotspot, with new volcanoes forming at the hotspot location and older ones moving away and eroding.