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

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 ...

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.

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.

Through plate tectonics, the eastern U.S. has been isolated from the global tectonic features (tectonic plate boundaries and hot spots in the mantle), that cause volcanic activity. So new volcanic ...

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 ...

It turns out it's complicated, but possible. Easter Island volcanoes are known as “hotspot volcanoes,” which form from rock that rises from the Earth’s mantle dubbed ‘mantle plumes.’ ...