The Pleiades belong to the McMurdo Volcanic Group and more specifically to the Melbourne volcanic province, which extends from Mount Melbourne to The Pleiades and Malta Plateau. These consist of the Cenozoic volcanoes of northern Victoria Land which form alignments and lineaments possibly controlled by deep fractures, and which are subdivided into a Central Suite consisting of large stratovolcanoes and a Local Suite consisting of other volcanic centres. Among the volcanoes of the McMurdo Volcanic Group are the large volcanoes Mount Overlord, Mount Melbourne and in the area of The Pleiades the Malta Plateau. Volcanic activity began about 10 - 7 million years ago. Earlier volcanic activity began during the Cretaceous, when the West Antarctic Rift System became active.