xkcd #3221: Landscape Features
Title text:
‘Well, there’s speculation that it’s due to a mantle hotspot.’ --a geologist who’s trying to cover up the fact that they didn’t hear your question
Transcript:
Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com
Source: https://xkcd.com/3221/


I’m posting this wild postulation in the hopes that someone corrects me.
Okay, so a billion years ago a volcanic plume tried to fuck up Michigan and failed, causing the Midcontinent rift system. Then it chilled out for awhile before getting squished by glaciers into going east and making the Adirondack mountains about 20 million years ago. Then it went west due to daylight savings time and made Yellowstone about 2 million years ago.
Well, to my exceedingly untrained eye… this all seems to be in order. Great work here. You really made an open and shut case out of it. I guess we’re all leaving the office early today, first round’s on me!
Weird
Hey, no! You’re supposed to be so upset that I’m wrong that you do significant research for me for free!