18. Geologic Hot Spot: Hawaii Some of the volcanic high islands of the Pacific comprise island chains. These are formed when the oceanic crust slides over a stationary geologic hot spot in the earth’s mantle where molten magma is relatively close to the crust. As the crust slides over the geologic hot spot, magma rises through the crust to form new volcanic islands.
30. Nauru The 10 square miles of land that is Nauru have been devastated by phosphate mining that once made Nauruans among the wealthiest people per capita on earth.