vailulu'u lies at the eastern end of the samoan volcanic chain and is considered to be the present-day location of the samoa hotspot; this interpretation is based on both the position of the seamount and the isotope ratios of rocks taken from it. young rock ages have also been observed on malumalu seamount, implying that the hotspot is currently feeding both volcanoes and forming two separate volcanic chains. these two volcanoes are the endpoints of two separate volcano lineaments in the samoa islands.