27°S 141°W / 27°S 141°W[1] Taukina seamounts are a series of seamounts on the Pacific Plate. The Macdonald hotspot and the Ngatemato seamounts are located nearby.[1] The Taukina and Ngatemato seamounts were discovered in 1996 by the RV Maurice Ewing and both are named after families in Rapa Iti.[2]
The Taukina seamounts are formed by small volcanoes,[1] with heights of 1,500–1,000 metres (4,900–3,300 ft) and widths of 6–10 kilometres (3.7–6.2 mi).[3] They often feature a caldera on their summit.[1] Tholeiitic rocks make up the seamounts.[2]
The shape of the Taukina seamounts resembles that of the seamounts that form on the East Pacific Rise.[1] An alternate theory of origin is that the Ngatemato seamounts deformed the Pacific plate enough with their weight to trigger the eruption of magma.[2]