Scientists have detected rhythmic pulses of molten rock rising beneath eastern Africa, threatening to pull the continent apart. A new study published in Nature Geoscience found that a pulsing plume of hot mantle beneath Ethiopia is slowly forming a new ocean near the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Researchers have been studying the chemical compositions of over 130 samples of volcanic rocks from the Afar region, which lies at the intersection of three tectonic plates. The team used computer models to determine how the region might respond to different kinds of mantle plumes and compared those responses to existing geological data.
The study reveals that a single mantle plume lies beneath all three rifts, but its chemical composition is not uniform. The molten rock surges upward rhythmically, leaving behind distinct chemical signatures. This rhythmic movement is similar to a heartbeat, with varying spacing between the stripes in different rifts suggesting that the mantle plume responds differently depending on the tectonic plates above.
The findings have profound implications for how scientists interpret surface volcanism, earthquake activity, and continental breakup. The study could help scientists understand volcanic activity at the surface by revealing how deep mantle upwellings can flow beneath the base of tectonic plates and focus volcanic activity to where the plate is thinnest. Future research in the Afar region may involve investigating the rate of mantle flow beneath the various plates.
The research team, led by Derek Keir from the University of Southampton and the University of Florence, hopes that their study will shed light on the complex dynamics of the Earth’s mantle and its impact on surface processes.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/pulsing-like-a-heartbeat-rhythmic-mantle-plume-rising-beneath-ethiopia-is-creating-a-new-ocean