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NORTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN—Scientists have discovered a new, currently unnamed island in the northern Pacific Ocean. The small island is located in an isolated area between Hawaii and the Marshall Islands. Scientists believe that an erupting volcano formed the island. The new land mass measures roughly two square miles and rises nearly ten feet above sea level.

Islands form when magma inside the earth spills onto the earth’s surface. Once magma hits the planet’s surface, it is called lava. The erupted lava then cools and hardens to form rocks and land. Scientists believe the volcano that created this new island has been erupting under the ocean for hundreds of years. Nevertheless, the lava has only recently risen above the water’s surface to form land. Scientists think the new island will expand as the volcano continues to erupt.

The theory of plate movement informs scientists’ knowledge of volcanoes. Scientists believe the earth’s crust consists of eight major, as well as dozens of minor, pieces of land called plates. These plates float on a sea of magma that flows under the earth’s surface. The plates’ movements cause continents to shift and mountains to form. They are also responsible for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Volcanoes can form in three ways. Some volcanoes form when the earth’s plates separate and pull apart from each other. The movement allows magma to bubble up in the gap between the plates. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge under the Atlantic Ocean is formed by separating plates. Although few people know about, it is actually the earth’s longest mountain chain.

Volcanoes can also occur when one plate is forced underneath another. The lower plate melts into magma, which later erupts from the earth as lava. The volcanoes in a part of the Pacific Ocean known as the Ring of Fire were formed in this way.

The final way that volcanoes can occur is when hot spots of magma burn through thin parts of the earth’s crust. Hot spots formed the Hawaiian Islands and the new unnamed Pacific island. The lava released from hot spot volcanoes typically flows slowly from the volcano’s cone.

Scientists plan to continue studying the new volcanic island in the hope of learning more about the forces that shape the earth and its land masses.

THE QUESTION

Which opinion might the reader form after reading this passage?
A) Scientists don't understand the theory of plate movement.
B) Scientists know everything they need to about how volcanoes are formed.
C) Scientists believe that volcanoes only form in the Northern Pacific Ocean.
D) Scientists are continuing to make discoveries about how volcanoes are formed.