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The causes of this volcano erupting is has to do with where the tectonic plates are situated. Hawaii is in the center of the pacific plate. Every year, the pacific plate drifts at a rate of 4 inches (10 cm) per year. At this time in history, the pacific plate is directly over top of a hot spot. The hot spot, which remains in a fixed position, is an area where magma is rising from deep in the Earth's mantle. Where the magma comes up, it creates volcanoes. A volcano will erupt for up to a couple of million years, then after that, the plate will have moved away from the hot spot, and the volcano will become extinct. This particular hot spot has existed for about 80 million years and at the minute is feeding five volcanoes magma.

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13y ago

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