Abstract
Mantle convection studies indicate that large-scale shear beneath plates acts together with the buoyant uplift of the lower density plume material to produce a succession of discrete plumes and consequently island chains such as Hawaii. The spacing of the Hawaiian Islands requires that its low viscosity shear zone is less than 80 km thick.
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Skilbeck, J., Whitehead, J. Formation of discrete islands in linear island chains. Nature 272, 499–501 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/272499a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/272499a0
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