What term describes a flat-topped, submerged, inactive volcano?

What term describes a flat-topped, submerged, inactive volcano?

• A. Guyot
• B. Seamount
• C. Island Arc
• D. Ocean Basin

Answer: (A)

A flat-topped, submerged, inactive volcano is a guyot. This feature forms when a volcanic island builds up above the surface, and waves erode its summit into a flat top. Over time the volcanic crust sinks or subsides so the eroded top ends up below sea level, leaving a submerged, flat-topped structure that is no longer volcanically active. The other terms don’t fit: a seamount is any underwater volcanic summit and isn’t defined by a flat top or subsidence to below sea level; an island arc is a chain of volcanic islands formed by subduction, not a single flat-topped submerged feature; an ocean basin is a large, low area of the ocean floor, not a volcanic landform.

A flat-topped, submerged, inactive volcano is a guyot. This feature forms when a volcanic island builds up above the surface, and waves erode its summit into a flat top. Over time the volcanic crust sinks or subsides so the eroded top ends up below sea level, leaving a submerged, flat-topped structure that is no longer volcanically active. The other terms don’t fit: a seamount is any underwater volcanic summit and isn’t defined by a flat top or subsidence to below sea level; an island arc is a chain of volcanic islands formed by subduction, not a single flat-topped submerged feature; an ocean basin is a large, low area of the ocean floor, not a volcanic landform.