Thermally-driven mantle plumes reconcile multiple hot-spot observations

Davies, David Rhodri ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7662-9468 and Davies, John Huw ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2656-0260 2009. Thermally-driven mantle plumes reconcile multiple hot-spot observations. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 278 (1-2) , pp. 50-54. 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.11.027

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Abstract

Hot-spots are anomalous regions of magmatism that cannot be directly associated with plate tectonic processes. They are widely-regarded as the surface expression of upwelling mantle plumes. Hot-spots exhibit variable life-spans, magmatic productivity and fixity. This suggests that a wide-range of upwelling structures coexist within Earth's mantle, a view supported by geochemical and seismic evidence, but, thus far, not fully-reproduced by numerical models. Here, results from a new, global, 3-D spherical, mantle convection model are presented, which better reconcile hot-spot observations, the key modification from previous models being increased convective vigor. Model upwellings show broad-ranging dynamics; some drift slowly, while others are more mobile, displaying variable life-spans, intensities and migration velocities. Such behavior is consistent with hot-spot observations, indicating that the mantle must be simulated at the correct vigor and in the appropriate geometry to reproduce Earth-like dynamics. Thermally-driven mantle plumes can explain the principal features of hot-spot volcanism on Earth.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Advanced Research Computing @ Cardiff (ARCCA) Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QE Geology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Hot-spots; Mantle plumes; Plate tectonics; Paleomagnetism; Multigrid-refinement; Multi-resolution
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0012-821X
Last Modified:	07 May 2023 21:41
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/9399

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