The Sources for Hotspot Volcanism in the South Pacific Ocean

The South Pacific is characterized by a large number of active hotspots, many of which have been active for long periods of time (possibly as long as 120 Ma, Staudigel et al. 1991) producing extensive island and/or seamount chains (see Introduction, Fig. 0.1. The hotspots are presently located either beneath relatively old lithosphere (e.g., Society, Pitcairn, Australs, Marquesas, Juan Fernandez) or lie closer to the spreading axis (Foundation, Easter) (see Sect. 5.1). During the last fifteen years, the German-French initiative to study these hotspots has resulted in a vast amount of petrological and geochemical data being collected on fresh, mainly submarine volcanics.