Hawaii hotspot
Hawaiian volcanoes are characterized by frequent rift eruptions, their large size (thousands of cubic kilometers in volume), and their rough, decentralized shape. Rift zones are a prominent feature on these volcanoes, and account for their seemingly random volcanic structure. The tallest mountain in the Hawaii chain, Mauna Kea, rises above mean sea level. Measured from its base on the seafloor, it is the world's tallest mountain, at ; Mount Everest rises above sea level. Hawaii is surrounded by a myriad of seamounts; however, they were found to be unconnected to the hotspot and its volcanism. Kīlauea has erupted continuously since 1983 through Puʻu ʻŌʻō, a minor volcanic cone, which has become an attraction for volcanologists and tourists alike.
List of volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain
The chain can be divided into three subsections. The first, the Hawaiian archipelago (also known as the "Windward isles"), consists of the islands comprising the U.S. state of Hawaii (not to be confused with the island of Hawaii). As it is the closest to the hotspot, this volcanically active region is the youngest part of the chain, with ages ranging from 400,000 years to 5.1 million years. The island of Hawaii is comprised by five volcanoes, of which two (Kilauea and Mauna Loa) are still active. Lōihi Seamount continues to grow offshore, and is the only known volcano in the chain in the submarine pre-shield stage.