Tracking a disappearing mantle plume in ancient Samoa: Researchers shed light on a 30-million-year gap

When plumes of magma well up through Earth's lithosphere, they create volcanoes, islands, seamounts, and other features on the surface. Telltale hot spot tracks form as tectonic plates move over these plumes, marking plume locations and the movement of the crust above them through time.

source https://phys.org/news/2024-10-tracking-mantle-plume-ancient-samoa.html