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Variation of Icelandic and Hawaiian magmatism: evidence for co-pulsation of mantle plumes?

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Abstract

Based on published estimates of areal extent, thickness and dating of igneous rocks related to formation of the North Atlantic Volcanic Province, we calculate the magmatic production since the first reported magmatism at 70 Ma until present. We relate the magmatism to the Icelandic Plume and estimate the total volumetric production to 22.1 × 106 km3. The magmatic production varied significantly with time, with a clear maximum of 55.5 m3/s around continental break-up at ca. 54 Ma. The lowest production is estimated at 4 m3/s, increasing to 7 m3/s at ca. 23 Ma. Two other pulses with increased activity are found around 40 Ma and in the late Miocene (10–5 Ma). The variations in productivity are consistent with a plume pulsing with a periodicity of ca. 15 million years. The same periodicity and relative timing is found for the Hawaiian Plume. If confirmed, these observations suggest that both plumes originate within the thin boundary layer near the Core-Mantle Boundary. This hypothesis may imply periodic heating of the earth’s core with subsequent heat-release to the mantle and increased global plume activity.

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Acknowledgments

We thank engineers from the University of Bergen and engineers and scientists from Hokkaido University (HU) for invaluable participation in planning and executing the OBS surveys, on which much of these results are based. We acknowledge The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), Statoil, Norsk Hydro, Total and the Norwegian Research Council (EUROMARGINS) for funding these projects. The present paper can to a large extent be attributed to the fruitful environment for scientific discussions the first author experienced during research stays at SOEST, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawaii (UH), and at Institute for Seismology and Volcanology, HU. We thank Dr. Asbjørn Breivik, University of Oslo, and Prof. Garrett Ito, SOEST, UH, for valuable discussions, Bent Ole Ruud for performing frequency analysis on the Iceland flux diagram, Beata Mjelde for drawing figures and Peter Clift, Andrew Kerr and one anonymous reviewer for critical comments.

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  1. Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allegt. 41, 5007, Bergen, Norway

    R. Mjelde

  2. Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1047, 0316, Oslo, Norway

    J. I. Faleide

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Mjelde, R., Faleide, J.I. Variation of Icelandic and Hawaiian magmatism: evidence for co-pulsation of mantle plumes?. Mar Geophys Res 30, 61–72 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11001-009-9066-0

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