The Hawaiian Hotspot has produced a line of volcanoes for 82 million years. Yet, it mysteriously took an abrupt 115 degree turn from the south to the east 47 million years ago. This video will discuss how this occurred, and compare it to the movement of other mantle plume hotspot chains in the Pacific Ocean.

Thumbnail Photo Credit: Google Earth, Image Landsat / Copernicus, Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO, Data LDEO-Columbia, NSF, NOAA, Image IBCAO. This image was then overlaid with text in addition to GeologyHub made graphics.

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Google Earth imagery used in this video: ©Google & Data Providers

Various licenses used in sections of this video (not the entire video, this video as a whole does not completely fall under one of these licenses) and/or in this video's thumbnail image:
CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Pixabay License: https://pixabay.com/service/terms/#li...

Sources/Citations:
[1] Konrad, K., Koppers, A.A.P., Steinberger, B. et al. On the relative motions of long-lived Pacific mantle plumes. Nat Commun 9, 854 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03..., CC BY 4.0. This source was used in this video when it was mentioned that a secondary factor (aka the fact that the Hawaiian Hotspot itself moved in a southwards direction 82 to 47 million years ago) aided in the generation of the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount chain (but was not the primary factor).
[2] Torsvik, T., Doubrovine, P., Steinberger, B. et al. Pacific plate motion change caused the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend. Nat Commun 8, 15660 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15660, CC BY 4.0. This source was used in this video when it was mentioned that the primary cause of the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount chain bend was a change in motion of the Pacific Plate.
[3] U.S. Geological Survey

0:00 Hawaiian Seamount Chain
1:59 Cause of the Bend
2:37 Mid Ocean Ridges
3:14 Conclusion