logo

Video encyclopedia

Mantle plume

1:43

Mantle Plume Demonstration

1:27

mantle plume iceland.wmv

2:24

Hotspot volcanism

1:05

The interaction of mantle plumes and the Earth's surface

0:15

Mantle Plumes

A mantle plume is an upwelling of abnormally hot rock within the Earth's mantle, first proposed by J. Tuzo Wilson in 1963. As the heads of mantle plumes can partly melt when they reach shallow depths, they are often invoked as the cause of volcanic hotspots, such as Hawaii or Iceland, and large igneous provinces such as the Deccan and Siberian traps. Some such volcanic regions lie far from tectonic plate boundaries, while others represent unusually large-volume volcanism near plate boundaries or in large igneous provinces.
    • Concepts 

    • The lower mantle and the core 

    • Evidence for the theory 

    • Suggested mantle plume locations 

    • Alternative hypotheses