How the spectacular Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain became so bendy

Science Daily ^ | 5/11/2016 | University of Sydney

[JimSEA]

The physical mechanism causing the unique, sharp bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain has been uncovered in a collaboration between the University of Sydney and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Led by a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney's School of Geosciences, researchers used the Southern Hemisphere's most highly integrated supercomputer to reveal flow patterns deep in the Earth's mantle -- just above the core -- over the past 100 million years. The flow patterns explain how the enigmatic bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain arose.

True to the old adage -- as above, so below -- the Sydney-US collaboration found the shape of volcanic seamount chains (chains of mostly extinct volcanoes), including Hawaii, is intimately linked to motion near the Earth's core.

[JimSEA]

Although solid, the mantle is in a state of continuous flow, observable only over geological timescales. Vertical columns of hot and buoyant rock rising through the mantle from near the core are known as mantle plumes. Volcanic seamount chains such as Hawaii were created from magma produced near the surface by mantle plumes. Moving tectonic plates sit above the mantle and carry newly formed seamounts away from the plume underneath -- the oldest seamounts in a chain are therefore furthest away from the plume.

"We had an intuition that, since the north Pacific experienced a prolonged phase where large, cold tectonic plates uninterruptedly sank into the mantle, the flow in the deepest mantle there would be very different compared to other regions of the Earth," Mr Hassan said.

The video representation. https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Xy5kHjAHXec

[JimSEA]

Sorry, the video didn't come out right.

This video will help visualize what a too short article tries to explain.

[BenLurkin]

Interesting.

[fruser1]

“True to the old adage — as above, so below”

I guess geologists don’t know many women.

[2001convSVT]

Thanks for the link.