The chain consists of over 16 extinct volcanic peaks, many rising more than 4,000 m (13,000 ft) from the seabed.

[3][4][5] It is one of the two parallel seamount chains alongside the East Coast of Australia; the Lord Howe and Tasmantid seamount chains both run north–south through parts of the Coral Sea and Tasman Sea.

[6] Like its neighbour, the Tasmantid Seamount Chain has resulted from the Indo-Australian Plate moving northward over a stationary hotspot.

[1] Also assigned to the chain are two sampled areas of the southern Louisiade Plateau with ages of 56.40 ± 0.60 and 55.00 ± 0.40 Ma respectively that are believed to represent the most northern aspects of the chain.

[1] The volcanics are saturated tholeiitic to transitional alkali-olivine basalt.