A number of tephra layers across Antarctica have been attributed to eruptions of this volcanic group, including several that may have occurred within the last few hundred years.

The Pleiades are located at the crest of the Transantarctic Mountains,[3] 120 to 140 km (75 to 87 mi)[4][5] away from the coast of Lady Newnes Bay, Ross Sea.

It has two poorly defined craters and consists of lava flows covered with scree and volcanic bombs when not buried under snow.

[15] Taygete Cone 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Mount Atlas[5] appears to be a lava dome bearing traces of hydrothermal alteration and of a small crater.

[3] The volcanoes have been prospected for the possibility to generate geothermal energy but the presence of a good heat source is unlikely.

[22] The cones form an arcuate alignment that might reflect the existence of a 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) wide caldera to their southeast.

[26] The basement underneath the volcanoes consists of Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary and intrusive rocks.

[29] Basanite, basalt, benmoreite, hawaiite, phonolite, trachyandesite, trachyte and tristanite have been recovered from The Pleiades.

[3] Ultimately, these magmas originate from a metasomatized mantle and were altered through assimilation of crustal material as they ascended.

[28] Phenocrysts include anorthoclase, apatite, augite, biotite, kaersutite, magnetite, oligoclase and olivine,[34] and are distinct between the sodic and potassic rocks.

[20] Hydrothermal alteration at Taygete Cone has produced hematite and sulfur which coat and stain bleached trachyte.

[16] Volcanic activity may have been influenced by ice load, which prevented the ascent of the magmas and allowed them to accumulate and evolve in the crust,[37] yielding peculiar magmas that underwent intense crystal fractionation and absorbed large quantities of crustal material.