I'm trying to interpret the chart from the USGS HVO of 10/20/95. I seem to notice that the active vent seems to be the recent one of four. Does the plate the island rides on move and the hot spot remain stable underneath? If so, how long can this happen and why isn't it disturbed by crustal movements? Also, the dark area depicting lava flow from 1992 to 8/95 seems to go under the older flow. Is this what is being shown? The active ocean entry point seems to indicate that this is so. This is just great to have all this information available to even the simply curious. I hope this "send" works, I never know if it's going out or not! Thanks Bernie.

rocky Bernie Shwayder

Dear Bernie,

A summary of the current eruption of Kilauea is presented in Common Questions about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. You are correct that the plates move and the hot spot remains stationary. The Hawaiian hot spot has been active at least 75 million years. I don't know of any publications that suggest crustal movements influence hot spots. However, some geologists think that hot spots drive plate movements. You might enjoy the background information on hot spots and mantle plumes.
The diagram you refer to can be a bit confusing. The main thing to remember is that Hawaiian volcanoes are stacks of lava flows. Just like making a layer cake, the oldest layer (or lava flows) must be on the bottom and the youngest layer must be on the top. So the youngest flows, labeled 8/25/95-10/17/95, must be on top of all the older lava flows.

Thanks for your question.

Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota 

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