Contrary to conventional geological thinking, the Hawaiian mantle plume has gotten hotter by about 250°C (480°F) over the past 47 million years. This discovery, led by Earth scientists at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, reverses the long-held idea that hotspots start out very hot and progressively cool over time. The study, published recently in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, also found that heat surges produced the two largest volcanoes along the Northwestern and Main Hawaiian Island chain.

Contrary to conventional geological thinking, the Hawaiian mantle plume has gotten hotter by about 250°C (480°F) over the past 47 million years. This discovery, led by Earth scientists at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, reverses the long-held idea that hotspots start out very hot and progressively cool over time. The study, published recently in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, also found that heat surges produced the two largest volcanoes along the Northwestern and Main Hawaiian Island chain.

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