An unexpected find in tiny crystals hints that the Earth's mantle may not quite behave as has been believed for nearly a century.

There, at the very edge of the Ontong Java Plateau, the researchers found 44-million-year-old volcanic rocks with geochemical fingerprints that match lavas from the Samoan hot spot.

GUPTA: On Earth, we also have volcanoes in the middle of a plate, not just the boundary. These are called hotspot volcanoes, and Hawaii is a great example of this. DOTTIN: Hotspot volcanoes are ...

Scientists aboard a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker have discovered something unusual in the Arctic Ocean off northern Alaska: a ...

Volcanologist Michelle Parks of the Icelandic Meteorological Office is one of a team of scientists trying to determine whether the retreat of glaciers could boost volcanic activity in Iceland.

But that presented the team with yet another conundrum. Volcanoes like those on Easter Island are so-called "hotspot volcanoes." These are common in the Pacific Ocean; Hawai'i is a famous example.

But that presented the team with yet another conundrum. Hotspot volcanoes and their origins Volcanoes like those on Easter Island are so-called 'hotspot volcanoes'. These are common in the Pacific ...