Three distinct types of hotspots in the Earth’s mantle

The origin of mantle hotspots is a controversial topic. Only seven (‘primary’) out of 49 hotspots meet criteria aimed at detecting a very deep origin (three in the Pacific, four in the Indo-Atlantic hemisphere). In each hemisphere these move slowly, whereas there has been up to 50 mm/a motion betwee...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth and planetary science letters 2003-01, Vol.205 (3), p.295-308
Main Authors: Courtillot, Vincent, Davaille, Anne, Besse, Jean, Stock, Joann
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brackish
convection
Freshwater
hotspots
mantle plumes
Marine
true polar wander
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The origin of mantle hotspots is a controversial topic. Only seven (‘primary’) out of 49 hotspots meet criteria aimed at detecting a very deep origin (three in the Pacific, four in the Indo-Atlantic hemisphere). In each hemisphere these move slowly, whereas there has been up to 50 mm/a motion between the two hemispheres prior to 50 Ma ago. This correlates with latitudinal shifts in the Hawaiian and Reunion hotspots, and with a change in true polar wander. We propose that hotspots may come from distinct mantle boundary layers, and that the primary ones trace shifts in quadrupolar convection in the lower mantle.
ISSN:0012-821X
1385-013X
DOI:10.1016/S0012-821X(02)01048-8