The volcanic field is located on the crest of the Hawaiian Arch, an area of Cretaceous seafloor around Hawaii which has buckled under the weight of the Hawaiian volcanoes, causing uplift and volcanic activity where the crust has broken up, allowing magma to rise to the surface. The presence of older seamounts in the area of the South Arch volcanic field may have influenced the onset of volcanism in the field. Such eccentric volcanism has also been inferred at other hotspots.