Mantle Plumes and Their Effects

145 Pages·2017·6.27 MB·English

by  Mainak Choudhuri, Michal Nemčok (auth.)

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
Mainak Choudhuri
Michal Nemčok
Mantle Plumes
and Their Effects
123
SpringerBriefs in Earth System Sciences
Series editors
Gerrit Lohmann, Bremen, Germany
Lawrence A. Mysak, Montreal, Canada
Justus Notholt, Bremen, Germany
Jorge Rabassa, Ushuaia, Argentina
Vikram Unnithan, Bremen, Germany
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/10032
č
Mainak Choudhuri Michal Nem ok
(cid:129)
Mantle Plumes and Their
Effects
123
Mainak Choudhuri Michal Nemčok
Petroleum E& P Energy andGeoscience Institute
Reliance IndustriesLimited University of Utah
Mumbai,Maharashtra Salt Lake City,UT
India USA
and
EGI Laboratory atSAV
Bratislava
Slovakia
ISSN 2191-589X ISSN 2191-5903 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs inEarth System Sciences
ISBN978-3-319-44238-9 ISBN978-3-319-44239-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-44239-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016947195
©TheAuthor(s)2017
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To my wife, who helped me
to finish this book quickly
Preface
This book attempts to collect the information that has been gathered from the
literature survey during the preparation of a doctoral thesis and constitutes the
theoretical background for it.
Plumes are hot, buoyant upwellings from the mantle that reach the base of the
lithosphere, producing regions of excess volcanism on the surface, known as hot
spots.Thepresenceofaplumeisdebatedhotlyintheliterature.Butahotspotisan
unambiguous feature on the surface of the Earth. In this book, we have tried to
describe the observable features on the crust that has been ascribed due to the
presence of a plume. The surface elevations surrounding a hot spot have been
explained by the presence of a plume head below the lithosphere. It results in a
broad swell and uplift of the crust above the plume head, with a moat-like
depression surrounding the erupting volcanoes. As the lithospheric plate moves
away, it leaves a trail of extinct volcanoes and a distinctive stacking pattern of
sedimentsinthemoatsaroundthevolcanoes.Thesesurfaceupliftsareoftwotypes:
a temporary dynamic uplift, which disappears when the plume-related thermal
anomaly dissipates, and a permanent uplift due to crustal underplating from the
plumemagmatism.Therearedifferentmethodstoidentifytheseupliftsandestimate
their magnitude, both in the case of present day, or in the case of geological past.
The chapters in the book present a brief synopsis of the current academic
understanding of the plume hypothesis, its surface manifestations, and
shortcomings.
Chapter 1 prepares the background parameters for plume emplacement. It deals
with theelastic properties ofthe lithosphereand estimationof theelastic thickness
of the crust.
Chapter2introducestheplumehypothesis,discussesthemajorplumetypes,and
briefly touched upon its effect on the lithosphere. It would make the reader con-
versant with the basic characteristic of a mantle plume.
Chapters3and4focuson,respectively,thedynamicandpermanenttopography
produced by an impinging plume head below the lithosphere. Estimation of the
uplifts from subsidence analysis is also discussed here.
vii
viii Preface
Chapter 5 discusses the thermal effects of a plume head, thermal uplift, and
interactions between a mid-oceanic ridge and a plume head.
Chapter 6 describes the geomorphic features of eruption centers, hotspot mor-
phology, flux variation, and hydrothermal circulation in a hot spot, flexure around
the hotspot track, and sedimentation in response to hotspot volcanism.
Finally, Chap. 7 touches upon the historical background of the plume hypoth-
esis, its criticisms, and alternate ideas.
This book should be useful to research students studying lithospheric uplifts
surrounding a hot spot and its estimation, or to the casual reader interested in the
plume hypothesis.
At the end, we would like to thank Mr. Neeraj Sinha, Reliance Industries
Limited, Navi Mumbai, and Dr. Rostilav Melichar, Masaryk University, Brno, for
their encouragements during the preparation of the initial drafts of this book.
Mumbai, India Mainak Choudhuri
Salt Lake City, USA Michal Nemčok
Contents
1 Elastic Properties of the Lithosphere. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.1 Elastic Thickness of the Lithosphere .. .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.2 Estimation of Elastic Thickness .. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 6
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 16
2 Plumes and Hotspots. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 19
2.1 Introduction .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 19
2.2 The Plume Hypothesis ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 20
2.3 Characteristics of Plumes ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 22
2.4 Classification of Plumes.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 24
2.4.1 Superplumes .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 28
2.4.2 Secondary and Tertiary Plumes. .... .... .... ..... .... 31
2.5 Plume-Related Lithospheric Uplift .... .... .... .... ..... .... 32
2.6 Morphology of Hotspot Tracks... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 34
2.7 Moat and Arch.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 37
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 39
3 Dynamic Crustal Uplift Due to Plume Activity. .... .... ..... .... 43
3.1 Ascent of a Mantle Plume .. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 43
3.2 Dynamic Uplift and Topography . .... .... .... .... ..... .... 45
3.3 Timeframe and Factors for Dynamic Uplift . .... .... ..... .... 49
3.4 Estimation of Dynamic Uplift.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 51
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 59
4 Permanent Crustal Uplift Due to Plume Activity ... .... ..... .... 63
4.1 Plume-Related Volcanism... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 63
4.2 Permanent Uplift .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 63
4.2.1 Factors for Permanent Uplift... .... .... .... ..... .... 65
4.2.2 Identification and Estimation of Permanent Uplift.... .... 65
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 71
5 Effects of Plume-Related Thermal Anomaly ... .... .... ..... .... 73
5.1 Plume Heat Flow .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 73
ix
x Contents
5.2 Thermal Uplift .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 77
5.2.1 Thermal Rejuvenation Model .. .... .... .... ..... .... 78
5.3 Thermal Subsidence.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 81
5.4 Plume-Ridge Interactions ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 82
5.4.1 Ridge-Centred Plumes.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 82
5.4.2 Off-Ridge Plumes ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 83
5.4.3 Migrating Ridges ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 84
5.4.4 Ridge Jump... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 85
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 88
6 Morphology of Hotspots.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 91
6.1 Growth of Submarine Volcanoes . .... .... .... .... ..... .... 91
6.2 Morphogenesis of Eruption Centers ... .... .... .... ..... .... 92
6.3 Hotspot Volcano Spacing... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 96
6.4 Magma Flux Variation..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 99
6.5 Heat Flow and Hydrothermal Circulation... .... .... ..... .... 102
6.6 Flexural Moat and Arch—Spatial and Temporal Development.... 108
6.6.1 Deposition in Flexural Moat... .... .... .... ..... .... 111
6.6.2 History of Moat Deposition.... .... .... .... ..... .... 118
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 119
7 The Great Plume Debate . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 125
7.1 Brief History.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 125
7.2 Problems/Critiques ... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 126
7.3 Plate Tectonic Considerations.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 132
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 133