All articles tagged with #african superplume
Scientists have uncovered that a massive gravity anomaly beneath the Indian Ocean, known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low, is caused by ancient mantle convection processes and the influence of the African superplume, revealing a complex interaction between deep Earth processes and surface features.
Scientists have used 3D thermomechanical modeling to uncover that the African Superplume, a massive mantle upwelling, is responsible for the unusual rift-parallel deformations observed in the East African Rift System. This adds complexity to the debate on the primary forces driving the rifting, suggesting a combination of lithospheric buoyancy forces and mantle traction forces. The research findings provide new insights into the processes involved in continental rifting and may help scientists better understand the breaking of continents.
Scientists at Virginia Tech have discovered that the "African Superplume" is responsible for the unusual deformation happening under the East African Rift System. The deformation is caused by the stretching and pulling apart of the lithosphere as tectonic plates move away from one another, forming perpendicular deformation in the Earth's crust.
A new study combining computer models with GPS satellite data has found that the African Superplume, a massive upwelling of hot mantle from deep within our planet, is responsible for the anomalous northward deformation parallel to the East African Rift (EAR). The same African Superplume is likely responsible for some of the seismic anisotropy occurring beneath the EAR. As the lithosphere stretches thinner, we're going to see more earthquakes and breaking rock structures across the region.
Computer models confirm that the African Superplume is responsible for the unusual, rift-parallel deformation observed beneath the Earth's largest continental rift system, the East African Rift System. The deformation that comes with continental rifting usually follows predictable directional patterns in relation to the rift, but the East African Rift System has both rift-perpendicular and rift-parallel deformations. The study's findings could help clear up scientific debate on which plate-driving forces dominate the rift system, accounting for both its rift-perpendicular and rift-parallel deformation: lithospheric buoyancy forces, mantle traction forces, or both.