Hotspot
Volcano Learning zone > Volcano Glossary
A hot spot is a hot jet or column of hot rock from the mantle which rises up from deep within the earth, spreads out below the crust and pierces it to form volcanoes. The hot spot or mantle plume remains stationary as the plates move over the top .Exact cause is not known.
Chains of volcanoes or seamounts occur where the plume pierces oceanic crust eg. Hawaii and on land vast flood basalts and supervolcanoes can occur eg Yellowstone, where the plume pierces continental crust.