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Question

Which one of the following is an example of hotspot within a continental plate?

The correct answer is
Yellowstone

Continental Plate Hotspot Identification

A hotspot is an area where the heat from the Earth's mantle rises, leading to volcanic activity. These can occur either under oceanic crust or continental crust.

Understanding Hotspot Locations

The key difference lies in the type of tectonic plate affected:

  • Oceanic Hotspots: Occur within oceanic plates, often forming island chains (e.g., Hawaii, Easter Island).
  • Continental Hotspots: Occur within continental plates, often associated with large calderas and geothermal activity (e.g., Yellowstone).

Analyzing the Options

Let's examine the location of each option:

  • Bermuda: Located on the North American Plate, but it's an oceanic island influenced by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge system rather than a classic continental hotspot plume.
  • Yellowstone: Situated on the North American continental plate. It is a well-known continental hotspot responsible for the Yellowstone Caldera and geothermal features.
  • Azores: An archipelago located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean, sitting on oceanic crust.
  • Easter Island: Located in the Pacific Ocean on oceanic crust, associated with the Easter Hotspot.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis, Yellowstone is the clear example of a hotspot located within a continental plate.

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Important Questions from Plate Tectonics

  1. The Paleo-Tethys Sea once separated
  2. Andean-type mountain belts form in
  3. Which of the following rock suits generally characterizes a plate boundary?
  4. In the table given below, indentify the correct pair
    Plate boundary TypeExample
    A.Oceanic DivergentF.San Andreas fault
    B.Continental DivergentG.Himalaya
    C.Oceanic-Continental convergenceH.Mid Atlantic Ridge
    D.Continent-Continent convergenceI.East African Rift
    E.TransformJ.Andes
  5. Which of the following processes is not related to plate tectonics?
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