A cool model for the Iceland hotspot
Several primary features of the Iceland region require a posteriori adaptions of the classical plume hypothesis to explain them, which erodes confidence in this model. These include the lack of a time-progressive volcanic track and the paucity of evidence for a seismic anomaly in the lower mantle. D...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.10.007 |
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ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:9ete9-gc505 2024-10-13T14:08:16+00:00 A cool model for the Iceland hotspot Foulger, G. R. Anderson, Don L. 2005-03-01 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.10.007 unknown Elsevier https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.10.007 eprintid:34811 info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Other Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 141(1-2), 1-22, (2005-03-01) Iceland plume hotspot plate tectonics upper mantle info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2005 ftcaltechauth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.10.007 2024-09-25T18:46:40Z Several primary features of the Iceland region require a posteriori adaptions of the classical plume hypothesis to explain them, which erodes confidence in this model. These include the lack of a time-progressive volcanic track and the paucity of evidence for a seismic anomaly in the lower mantle. Diverse studies suggest a mantle potential temperature anomaly beneath the region of no more than 50–100 K, which is probably insufficient for a thermally buoyant plume. We suggest an alternative model that attributes the enhanced magmatism in the Iceland region to high local mantle fertility from subducted Iapetus oceanic crust trapped in the Laurasian continental mantle lithosphere within the collision zone associated with the Caledonian suture. This crust is recycled into the melt zone locally beneath the mid-Atlantic ridge where isentropic upwelling of eclogitized crust or a crust–peridotite mixture produces excess melt. The production of anomalously large volumes of melt on this part of the spreading ridge has built a zone of thick seismic crust that traverses the whole north Atlantic. A weak, downward continuation of the seismic low-velocity zone into the transition zone between the Charlie Gibbs and Jan Mayen fracture zones may correspond to a component of partial melt, too low to be extractable, that indicates the depth extent of enhanced fusibility or volatiles resulting from the recycled crust. The Iceland region separates two contrasting oceanic tectonic regions to its north and south that may behave independently to some degree. Perhaps as a result of this, it has persistently been characterized by complex and unstable tectonics involving spreading about a parallel pair of ridges, intervening microplates, ridge migrations, and local variations in the spreading direction. These tectonic complexities can explain a number of primary features observed on land in Iceland. A captured microplate that may contain oceanic crust up to ∼30 m.y. old underlies central Iceland submerged beneath younger lavas. This ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland Jan Mayen North Atlantic Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) Jan Mayen Mid-Atlantic Ridge Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 141 1-2 1 22 |
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Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) |
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unknown |
topic |
Iceland plume hotspot plate tectonics upper mantle |
spellingShingle |
Iceland plume hotspot plate tectonics upper mantle Foulger, G. R. Anderson, Don L. A cool model for the Iceland hotspot |
topic_facet |
Iceland plume hotspot plate tectonics upper mantle |
description |
Several primary features of the Iceland region require a posteriori adaptions of the classical plume hypothesis to explain them, which erodes confidence in this model. These include the lack of a time-progressive volcanic track and the paucity of evidence for a seismic anomaly in the lower mantle. Diverse studies suggest a mantle potential temperature anomaly beneath the region of no more than 50–100 K, which is probably insufficient for a thermally buoyant plume. We suggest an alternative model that attributes the enhanced magmatism in the Iceland region to high local mantle fertility from subducted Iapetus oceanic crust trapped in the Laurasian continental mantle lithosphere within the collision zone associated with the Caledonian suture. This crust is recycled into the melt zone locally beneath the mid-Atlantic ridge where isentropic upwelling of eclogitized crust or a crust–peridotite mixture produces excess melt. The production of anomalously large volumes of melt on this part of the spreading ridge has built a zone of thick seismic crust that traverses the whole north Atlantic. A weak, downward continuation of the seismic low-velocity zone into the transition zone between the Charlie Gibbs and Jan Mayen fracture zones may correspond to a component of partial melt, too low to be extractable, that indicates the depth extent of enhanced fusibility or volatiles resulting from the recycled crust. The Iceland region separates two contrasting oceanic tectonic regions to its north and south that may behave independently to some degree. Perhaps as a result of this, it has persistently been characterized by complex and unstable tectonics involving spreading about a parallel pair of ridges, intervening microplates, ridge migrations, and local variations in the spreading direction. These tectonic complexities can explain a number of primary features observed on land in Iceland. A captured microplate that may contain oceanic crust up to ∼30 m.y. old underlies central Iceland submerged beneath younger lavas. This ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Foulger, G. R. Anderson, Don L. |
author_facet |
Foulger, G. R. Anderson, Don L. |
author_sort |
Foulger, G. R. |
title |
A cool model for the Iceland hotspot |
title_short |
A cool model for the Iceland hotspot |
title_full |
A cool model for the Iceland hotspot |
title_fullStr |
A cool model for the Iceland hotspot |
title_full_unstemmed |
A cool model for the Iceland hotspot |
title_sort |
cool model for the iceland hotspot |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.10.007 |
geographic |
Jan Mayen Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
geographic_facet |
Jan Mayen Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
genre |
Iceland Jan Mayen North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Iceland Jan Mayen North Atlantic |
op_source |
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 141(1-2), 1-22, (2005-03-01) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.10.007 eprintid:34811 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Other |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.10.007 |
container_title |
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research |
container_volume |
141 |
container_issue |
1-2 |
container_start_page |
1 |
op_container_end_page |
22 |
_version_ |
1812814940628582400 |