The Balleny hotspot is a volcanic hotspot located in the Southern Ocean. The hotspot created the Balleny Islands, which forms a chain that extends for about 160 km (99 mi) in a northwest-southeast direction.[1] Due to plate tectonics the hot spot was under different parts of the ocean bed in the past, and this has resulted in a chain of seamounts extending from the East Tasman Plateau.[1] Isotopes and trace elements in the volcanic rocks indicated a high U/Pb mantle source. The same pattern is seen in basalt from Tasmania, but not from Victoria.[1]
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Antarctic Plate |
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African Plate |
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Eurasian Plate |
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Indo-Australian Plate |
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Nazca Plate |
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North American Plate |
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Pacific Plate |
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South American Plate |
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Proposed mechanisms: Mantle plume · Plate theory |
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