Oceanic islands preferred thin crust

Debate over how and where oceanic island chains, like Hawaii, form, is at an end according to an academic from The Australian National University. Oliver Nebel from the Research School of Earth Sciences, in the ANU College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, has been involved in a world-wide collaboration which sheds new light on the processes behind the formation of island chains. His findings are published today. "For a long time many have argued that some volcanic island chains, such as the Hawaiian Emperor Chain, are formed from things called hotspots. These hotspots come from the very deep interior of the Earth, where hot material rises in so-called mantle plumes," said Nebel. "These mantle plumes burn through the crust and erupt at the surface. As these hotspots are stationary, with the plates moving on top of them, they leave a track, creating chains.