What do the Hawaiian Islands tell us about Earth's past?

Question

this is for a earth science class, i think it has something to do with the volacanoes and their formation

Answer 1

This chain of volcanoes tells us that the Pacific plate is moving across a plume of upwelling mantle magma. If I knew the geography of Hawaii better I'd be able to tell you which direction it's moving. The most active volcano is the most recent, so the plate is moving towards the oldest.

Answer 2

The following explanation is from a public USGS website from a government document called "This Dynamic Earth" by W.J. Kious and R. I. Tilling:
"In 1963, J. Tuzo Wilson, the Canadian geophysicist who discovered transform faults, came up with an ingenious idea that became known as the "hotspot" theory. Wilson noted that in certain locations around the world, such as Hawaii, volcanism has been active for very long periods of time. This could only happen, he reasoned, if relatively small, long-lasting, and exceptionally hot regions -- called hotspots -- existed below the plates that would provide localized sources of high heat energy (thermal plumes) to sustain volcanism. Specifically, Wilson hypothesized that the distinctive linear shape of the Hawaiian Island-Emperor Seamounts chain resulted from the Pacific Plate moving over a deep, stationary hotspot in the mantle, located beneath the present-day position of the Island of Hawaii. Heat from this hotspot produced a persistent source of magma by partly melting the overriding Pacific Plate. The magma, which is lighter than the surrounding solid rock, then rises through the mantle and crust to erupt onto the seafloor, forming an active seamount. Over time, countless eruptions cause the seamount to grow until it finally emerges above sea level to form an island volcano. Wilson suggested that continuing plate movement eventually carries the island beyond the hotspot, cutting it off from the magma source, and volcanism ceases. As one island volcano becomes extinct, another develops over the hotspot, and the cycle is repeated. This process of volcano growth and death, over many millions of years, has left a long trail of volcanic islands and seamounts across the Pacific Ocean floor.

According to Wilson's hotspot theory, the volcanoes of the Hawaiian chain should get progressively older and become more eroded the farther they travel beyond the hotspot. The oldest volcanic rocks on Kauai, the northwesternmost inhabited Hawaiian island, are about 5.5 million years old and are deeply eroded. By comparison, on the "Big Island" of Hawaii -- southeasternmost in the chain and presumably still positioned over the hotspot -- the oldest exposed rocks are less than 0.7 million years old and new volcanic rock is continually being formed."
If you go to the site, you will see good illustrations of the process.

Answer 3

The Hawaiian islands formed over a "hot spot" (volcanic activity deep underground) - they show tectonic movement as the Pacific tectonic plate moves over the hot spot forming the chain of islands.

Answer 4

It tells us that the earth's tectonic plates are moving and that the earth's crust is divided into sections