The Hawaiian Islands are the product of hot spot activity. The hot spot is in the south east, at the presently active volcanic island of Hawaii. The Pacific Plate drifts slowly to the north west, producing a chain of extinct volcanoes. These islands form the Hawaiian Ridge. As they get older they sink, turning into seamounts.
The map shows land in white and water less than 2000 m deep in grey.
(Map based on the GEBCO97 database, produced with GEBCO97 software and modified.)
© 2000 M. Tomczak