It is a basaltic volcano that erupted between 10,300,000 to 11,400,000 years ago,[1] with survey data that indicates it rises about 3,160 m (10,370 ft) above the local sea floor to a minimum depth of 128 m (420 ft).

[2] The sediments deposited on top of the alkali olivine basalt[1] originate from the Late Miocene.

[3] It was likely a coral-capped volcanic seamount during the Pleistocene low sea level.

Because detailed compositional analysis elsewhere has suggested that as well as individual compositional maturation with time within an individual seamount chain there may be underlying shared mantle plume sources in such parallel chains this issue has been examined with samples from Taupo Bank.

These samples share compositional analysis similarities with some of the volcanics that formed Lord Howe Island which would be consistent with a common or similar mantle plume source.