Hotspots are associated with long‐wavelength geoid highs, an association that is even
stronger when the geoid highs associated with subduction zones are removed. We quantify
these associations by expanding the hotspot distribution in spherical harmonics and
calculating correlation coefficients as a function of harmonic degree. The hotspot distribution
spectrum is nearly white, except for peaks at degrees 2 and 6. It is correlated positively with
the slab residual geoid for degrees 2–6, with low seismic velocity in the lower mantle at …