Geology question?

Question

Alway considered Hawii Island recent creation of volcanic actitity. Then it occurd to me all land mass was createdd by volcanic activity. Are the falt lines seperates due to different eruptions? Is it that simple excluding all the factors producted by movemt and aging of above ground forces.

Kicking myself for not using analogy, whick caued me to misell spertion while deciding. Could it be like some of my failed baking attemps when on layer of dough get laid on previous layer.

Answer 1

In a way you are right, that land masses were initially created by volcanic activity. But, then some of the rock was eroded and redeposited, building up layers that eventually became sedimentary rock. And some of the earliest volcanic rocks of land masses were changed by heat and or pressure into metmorphic rocks. So, great landmasses like continents have all three kinds of rock. You can imagine that older rocks are often near the middle of great land masses and younger rocks lie around the edges. (not true in Hawaii, which is very young and not so great...older rocks are in the northern islands).
If you go to the site below, you will see a map of the United States showing where the oldest rocks are, and where the youngest rocks are. Check out Minnesota and Michigan (lots of very old rocks). Check out the Coastal zones-lots of young rocks. On the Gulf Coast, these are sedimentary, not igneous.
http://tapestry.usgs.gov/

Faults are just breaks in rock along which there has been measurable motion. They can cut right across all kinds of rocks, including volcanic rocks from a single eruption. In some places, old volcanoes have been cut in half and one side has been moved away from the other.

Answer 2

Hawaii has a lot of volcanic activity. You are seeing HOT SPOTS forming which imprints the volcano.

Answer 3

There are no plate boundaries in Hawaii, therefore no fault lines. Hawaii was formed and lies on a "Hot Spot". There are quite a few Hot Spots in the world.