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Old 06-05-2018, 03:43 PM #15
Twosugars Twosugars is offline
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Twosugars Twosugars is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: London
Posts: 9,384
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Looks like Kilauea is shifting its magma southeast, which is in line with the general drift of the underlying plume

http://www.geo.cornell.edu/hawaii/22...T_hotspot.html
Quote:
Often the hot spot creates a chain of volcanoes, as a plate moves across a relatively stationary mantle plume. The best example of a hot spot volcanic chain is the Hawaiian Islands. From the volcanic track left by the moving plate we can tell the direction of motion of the plate (to the NW) and the rate at which it moves (8.6 cm/year).
Currently the hot spot lies beneath the Big Island of Hawai'i, but as the plate slowly moves, a new island will be created. Indeed, it is in the process of being created now. The submarine volcano, Lo'ihi, lies 18 miles off the southeast coast of Hawai'i.

The plate is moving NW and since the plume (hot spot) is stationary it drifts SE. These things don't work like clockwork and are unpredictable, but SE of the island is the most vulnerable when it comes to new vents and lava.
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