Other
Scientific paper
May 2004
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004agusm.t24a..06l&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2004, abstract #T24A-06
Other
1213 Earth'S Interior: Dynamics (8115, 8120), 8120 Dynamics Of Lithosphere And Mantle: General, 8121 Dynamics, Convection Currents And Mantle Plumes, 8149 Planetary Tectonics (5475)
Scientific paper
Geochemical evidence suggests that the Tertiary basalts along the East African Rift were created by two series of volcanic eruptions from separated mantle sources. The basalts in Tanzania, Kenya, and southern Ethiopia were attributed to the Kenya mantle plume initiated 45 Myr ago, while the Ethiopia-Yemen basalts were products of the younger (31 Ma) Afar plume. We carry out numerical modeling to investigate how this double plume system, the Tanzania craton, and the African plate motion interplay to result in the spatial-time pattern of magmatism observed. The African plate motion and the Tanzania craton were implemented as known physical parameters. The models were then tuned on the locations and strengths of the plumes and the range of rheology of the upper mantle against two critical observations: the coexistence of basalts derived directly or indirectly from the two plumes in southern Ethiopia, and buoyancy flux estimation of the Afar plume. The confrontation between plumes will generate an approximately stationary stagnant streamline between the plumes. Therefore, the plume head material will not mix or underplate each other, making the isolation of the mantle sources for melting. With the plausible physical parameters, our preferred model can generate a good match for the spatial and temporal magma distribution in Ethiopia and Yemen. The south-coming Tanzania craton and the expanding flow front of the Afar plume together deflect the Kenya plume material to the sense of asymmetry. However, it is insufficient to explain the observation in which the abundant magmatism along the eastern branch vs. little on the western branch of the rift. The plume has been eroding the cratonic root since 20 Ma.
Chiao L.
Kuo B.
Lin Saulwood
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