Volcanoes are an integral part of the Earth’s topography, formed due to the movement of tectonic plates or magma’s activity under the Earth’s crust. Scientists believe that there are two options for the formation of volcanoes, which differ due to their location. Volcanoes formed at plate boundaries emerged as a result of these plates’ movement, while volcanoes formed by a hotspot are the consequences of the rise of a plume from the deep mantle.
Most volcanoes are located at the boundaries of tectonic plates that divide the Earth’s surface. Due to these plates’ gradual movement, new landscapes are formed, including volcanoes (“What is a hotspot,” n.d.). Some of them are created because of the divergence of plates, since magma moves from the mantle to the boundary and fills the space in the cracks that arise. Another part of volcanoes appears due to the collision of plates, since one of them can sink under the other and increase the pressure and temperature, forcing the molten upper mantle to rise to the surface. However, volcanoes formed by hot spots are not at plate boundaries and have a different formation process. According to the theory, hotspots are places deep beneath the Earth’s mantle that melt a tectonic plate, allowing magma and volcanic rock to come to the surface (“What is a hotspot,” n.d.). These processes create volcanoes, and gradually cooling down can become the basis for islands.
Therefore, the main difference between the two types of volcanoes is the process of their formation, since one is the result of plate movement, and the other is their melting. In addition, these types of volcanoes differ in location due to the peculiarities of their formation. Thus, these theories of the volcanoes emergence allow scientists to explain why some of them are located at a remote distance from others.
Reference
What is a hotspot volcano? (n.d). 2020, Web.