The Hotspot Beneath Hawaii Is Getting Hotter, Defying a Long-Held Geological Theory

A new study finds the Hawaiian mantle plume has warmed by about 250°C over the past 47 million years.

Researchers link two heat surges to the growth of the largest volcanoes in the Hawaiian chain.

The finding challenges the expectation that mantle hotspots steadily cool over time.

It also helps explain why some Hawaiian volcanoes, including Pūhāhonu, became exceptionally large.