Wilson's hypothesis attributes the linear shape of the Hawaiian Island Chain to the progressive movement of the Pacific Plate over a deep immobile hot spot. This hot spot partly melts the region just below the overriding Pacific Plate, producing small, isolated blobs of magma. Less dense than the surrounding solid rock, the magma rises buoyantly through structurally weak zones and ultimately erupts as lava onto the ocean floor to form volcanoes.
The dating of the past volcanic activity on the Big Island of Hawaii has also supported the hot spot hypothesis. Kohala, at the northwestern corner of the island, in the general vicinity of the Hapuna Beach and Mauna Kea Beach hotels is the oldest. The second oldest is Mauna Kea, which last erupted about 3,000 years ago followed by Hualalai, which has had only one historic eruption and lastly, both Mauna Loa and Kilauea have been vigorously and repeatedly active in historic times with Kilauea believed to be the youngest.
The size of the Hawaiian hot spot is not know precisely, but it presumably is large enough to encompass the currently active volcanoes of Mauna Loa, Kilauea, Loihi, and, possibly, also Hualalai and Haleakala. It has been estimated to be about 200 miles across with narrow vertical passageways that feed the molten lava to the surface or into long narrow lava tubes near the surface.
Loihi is still an island being held in the womb of mother earth. She is expected to break the surface of the ocean in another thousand years.
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