Kerguelen hot spot

The Kerguelen hotspot is a volcanic region located beneath the Earth's surface near the Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. It is a mantle plume—an upwelling of hot, semi-fluid rock from deep within the Earth—that causes volcanic activity at the surface. This hotspot has created underwater mountain ranges called seamounts and volcanic islands over millions of years. Unlike plate boundaries, hotspots stay fixed while tectonic plates move over them, resulting in a chain of volcanic formations. The Kerguelen hotspot has significantly shaped the underwater landscape and contributed to the volcanic activity in this remote ocean area.