How can the Yellow Stone super volcano be a composite volcano if it is on a hotspot?
Jun 06, 2009
in
Volcano
On the National Geographic Channel, a park ranger labeled the Yellow Stone volcano as a hotspot-volcano. Most volcanoes over hot spots are shield volcanoes, like the Hawaiian Islands. However, Yellow Stone acts like a composite volcano. In addition, if it is in deed hotspot-volcano, then shouldn't there be other dormant volcanoes following the shift of the tectonic plate?
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One comment
Elizabeth H on June 6, 2009 at 12:11 am
Yellowstone is fueled by a Hotspot. A hotspot is simply a location at the earths crust where magma from the mantle releases heat and in turn shapes the crust. Yellowstone has a hotspot trail which has developed over many eruptions while the plates were in motion. The hotspot is more difficult to track than the Hawaiian Island chain but by using various dating techniques and carefully analyzing the surrounding rocks geologists have been able to identify several such hotspot eruptions over a period of approximately 17 million years.