Abstract: Walvis Ridge in the South Atlantic Ocean is in a typical hotspot track formed through mantle plume–mid-ocean ridge interaction. Its geological evolution fits the classical model of transition from a plume head to a plume tail, making it one of the global archetype examples for studying mantle plume activity. The International Ocean Discovery Program Expeditions 391 and 397T recently conducted systematic drilling across the ridge. This study combines the formation and evolutionary mechanisms of the Walvis Ridge, focusing on its petrography, chronology, geochemistry, magmatism, and mantle sources. Volcanic rocks from the Walvis Ridge are dominated by basalt and basanite, mainly composed of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and olivine. The first stage corresponds to the EM I-type volcanism associated with the Tristan-Gough hotspot track, showing well-defined age progression. The second stage is characterized by the HIMU-type volcanism surrounding the Valdivia Bank, forming seamounts superimposed on the earlier basement. Volcanic rocks from these two stages indicate that the mantle sources of the Walvis Ridge are dominated by a Gough-type EM I component, which has persisted for more than 130 Ma throughout the system. In contrast, the Tristan-type EM I component appears only along the younger (<70 Ma) section of the hotspot track. Although the tholeiitic magmas of the Valdivia Bank and the alkaline magmas of the Gough track are both derived from the Gough-type EM I mantle source; their differences in major and trace element compositions reflect the variations in lithospheric thickness and degrees of partial melting during their formation. The long-lived Gough-type EM I component likely recorded recycled ancient crustal materials in the mantle source. In contrast, the late-stage HIMU-type volcanism surrounding the Valdivia Bank indicates a significant change in mantle source characteristics during the evolution of the Walvis Ridge. This transition may be linked to the Large Low Shear Wave Velocity Province (LLSVP) beneath the African continent, reflecting complex geochemical zonation and material cycling within and around the LLSVP. The temporal evolution from the EM I-type to HIMU-type signatures further suggests a spatial and genetic relationship between these two mantle end-members. Several key issues remain on the exact mechanism of Walvis Ridge formation, and future studies integrating high-precision isotope geochemistry, deep geophysical imaging, and geodynamic modeling are needed to elucidate the coupling between deep mantle dynamics and shallow lithospheric processes during the formation of the ridge, and advance our understanding of crustal recycling, supercontinent breakup, and the long-term evolution of Earth's interior.