Describe how plate tectonics shapes important geological features of Earth, including mid-ocean ridges, continents, mountain ranges, rift valleys, and earthquakes. How did Hawaii form?

Plate tectonics refers to a theory that describes one of the most important processes in the formation of our planet. Plate tectonics explains the features and movement of the Earth's surface. This theory argues that the outer shell of the Earth is divided into several different plates that glide over the Earth's mantle. The mantle is a rocky inner layer above the core that is not as rigid as the crust. This allows the crust to move around, giving rise to many of the Earth's features, including mid-ocean ridges, continents, mountain ranges, rift valleys and earthquakes. This movement can be explained by the convection in the mantle. In this process, hot material near the Earth's core rises, and colder mantle rock sinks.

Hawaii was formed due to a 'hot spot' in the middle of one of the largest crustal plates on Earth: the Pacific Plate. Volcanism often occurs in this hot spot. In these cases, molten lava breaks through the crustal plate under the seafloor, producing undersea volcanoes. Some of these volcanoes have risen to above the surface of the ocean and become islands.