Marquesas hotspot

[11] Some features of the Marquesas, such as the trend of the islands and seamounts, non-fixity of the source, and short-lived volcanic activity, have been argued to conflict with the plume model.

[12] The trend of the chain and non-fixity of the source, however, may be explained by the plume conduit either being deflected by convection currents in the upper mantle[9][13] or melt being channelled through zones of structural weakness.

[2] Nevertheless, some scientists dispute the plume model, arguing instead that volcanic activity associated with the Marquesas hotspot and others in the southern Pacific results from shallow tectonic processes.

In this interpretation, volcanism in the Marquesas is a consequence of intraplate stresses caused primarily by reorganisations of plate boundaries and thermal contraction of the lithosphere.

[14][15][11][16] The primary evidence for this interpretation is the timing of volcanic activity and orientation of the Marquesas chain, which coincide closely with major reorganisations of plate boundaries and consequent changes in the lithospheric stress field.