Emperor Seamount Chain
Also called: Hawaiian-Emperor chain · Topic: Oceans: Hydrological Cycle, Relief of the Ocean Floor, Temperature and Salinity · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 12 "Water (Oceans)"
Meaning
The Emperor Seamount Chain is a long line of extinct underwater volcanoes in the North Pacific. A seamount is an underwater volcanic mountain that does not reach the surface. The chain formed as the Pacific Plate moved over the Hawaii hotspot, a fixed spot where hot material rises from deep inside the Earth. Each volcano was carried away from the hotspot, and a new one formed behind it. So the chain records the plate's movement over about 80 million years.
Example
The chain runs north-west from the Hawaiian Islands. Where it meets the Hawaiian chain there is a sharp bend, called the Hawaii-Emperor bend. It shows that the Pacific Plate changed the direction it was moving in.
Don't confuse with
- Mid-oceanic ridge: a ridge forms where plates move apart. The Emperor chain formed when a plate moved over a single hotspot.