<P> In 1963 , geologist John Tuzo Wilson hypothesized the origins of the Hawaiian -- Emperor seamount chain , explaining that they were created by a hotspot of volcanic activity that was essentially stationary as the Pacific tectonic plate drifted in a northwesterly direction , leaving a trail of increasingly eroded volcanic islands and seamounts in its wake . An otherwise inexplicable kink in the chain marks a shift in the movement of the Pacific plate some 47 million years ago , from a northward to a more northwesterly direction , and the kink has been presented in geology texts as an example of how a tectonic plate can shift direction comparatively suddenly . A look at the USGS map on the origin of the Hawaiian Islands clearly shows this `` spearpoint '' . </P>
<P> In 1963 , geologist John Tuzo Wilson hypothesized the origins of the Hawaiian -- Emperor seamount chain , explaining that they were created by a hotspot of volcanic activity that was essentially stationary as the Pacific tectonic plate drifted in a northwesterly direction , leaving a trail of increasingly eroded volcanic islands and seamounts in its wake . An otherwise inexplicable kink in the chain marks a shift in the movement of the Pacific plate some 47 million years ago , from a northward to a more northwesterly direction , and the kink has been presented in geology texts as an example of how a tectonic plate can shift direction comparatively suddenly . A look at the USGS map on the origin of the Hawaiian Islands clearly shows this `` spearpoint '' . </P>
in what direction was the pacific plate moving while the emperor seamounts were forming
in what direction was the pacific plate moving while the emperor seamounts were forming
northwesterly direction
northwesterly direction