The role of plume-lithosphere interaction in Hawaii-Emperor chain formation

Shijie Xie, Zebin Cao, Lijun Liu (), Dinghui Yang (), Mengxue Liu, Yanchong Li and Rui Qi
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Shijie Xie: Tsinghua University
Zebin Cao: Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lijun Liu: Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Dinghui Yang: Tsinghua University
Mengxue Liu: Tsinghua University
Yanchong Li: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Rui Qi: Tsinghua University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Paleolatitudes of volcanic rocks reveal that prominent changes in volcanic trend of the Hawaii-Emperor hotspot chain represent meridional migration of the magma source. However, models assuming latitudinal plume migration fail to explain the observed age distribution, rock composition, and erratic paleolatitude changes of the oldest Emperor seamounts. Here we use data-assimilation models to better reproduce the Hawaii-Emperor hotspot track by systematically considering plate reconstruction, plume-lithosphere interaction, and simplified melt generation and migration. Our results show that plate drag and plume-ridge interaction are both important in explaining the observed seamount ages. These shallow dynamic processes could account for 50% of the observed paleolatitude’s secular reduction and erratic variations over time, where the necessary southward migration of the Hawaiian plume root is significantly less than previously thought. We conclude that plume-lithosphere interaction represents a common mechanism in affecting hotspot track, and has important implications in understanding mantle dynamics and plate reference frames.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51055-9

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