Abstract
Previous studies have shown that the response of the Pacific plate to oceanic island and seamount loads can be used to estimate the distribution of ridge-crest, superswell, and normal mid-plate volcanism. Similarly, estimation of the degree of Airy isostatic compensation can be used to predict the tectonic origin of an oceanic island or seamount. In this study 150 Pacific seamounts, each surveyed with at least three sea surface profiles, are classified as ridge-crest or superswell, mid-plate, or uncertain origin based on bathymetry and on-axis gravity. The results correlate well with those obtained from three-dimensional flexural and isostatic studies. Most of the analyzed seamounts rimming the Central Pacific Basin are locally isostatically compensated, i.e., ridge crest or superswell, including the Marshall Islands (10), the Mid-Pacific Mountains (5), the Line Islands (6), Tuvalu (1), and Phoenix seamounts (1). Sixteen compensated edifices were estimated on 150–170 Ma Jurassic sea floor in the Japanese (2), Magellan (3), Marcus Wake (1), and Marshall seamounts (10), but reef fossil and radiometric age determinations show no evidence of ridge crest eruptions during the Jurassic. The gravity results are therefore compatible with recent flexural studies, geochemical results, seafloor depths, age dating, and plate rotation models for other edifices in these seamount clusters that suggest eruption from a South Pacific isotopic and thermal anomaly or superswell during the Cretaceous (80–120 Ma). Recent radiometric age determinations and geochemistry indicate that four Late Cretaceous Marshall seamounts were erupted from mantle sources that are presently in the South Pacific. Our determination of 10 isostatically compensated edifices suggests that many of the Marshall seamounts may have been erupted from the South Pacific isotopic and thermal anomaly. The passage of Jurassic lithosphere over at least four superswell hot spots may also explain the apparent multiple episodes of volcanism in the Marshall Islands.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Calmant, S., and A. Cazenave, 1986, The effective elastic thickness under the Cook-Austral and Society islands: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 77, p. 187–202.
Calmant, S., and A. Cazenave, 1987, Anomalous elastic thickness of the oceanic lithosphere in the south-central Pacific: Nature, v. 328, p. 236–238.
Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources, 1981, Plate-tectonic map of the Circum-Pacific region, Northwest Quadrant: The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Scale 1:10, 000, 000.
Davis, A. S., M. S. Pringle, L. G. Pickthorn, D. A. Clague, and W. C. Schwab, 1989, Petrology and age of alkalic lava from the Ratak chain of the Marshall Islands: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 94, p. 5757–5774.
Dixon, T. H., M. Naraghi, M. K. McNutt, and S. M. Smith, 1983, Bathymetric prediction from SEASAT altimeter data: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 88, p. 1563–1571.
Duncan, RA., and D.A. Clague, 1985, Pacific plate motion recorded by linear volcanic chains, inA.E.M. Nairn, R.G. Stehli, and S. Uyeda, eds.: Plenum, N.Y., Ocean Basins and Margins, v. 7A, p. 89–121.
Epp, D., 1984, Implications of volcano and swell heights for thinning of the lithosphere by hotspots: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 89, p. 9991–9996.
Freedman, A. P., and B. Parsons, 1986, SEASAT-derived gravity over the Musicians seamounts: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 91, p. 8325–8340.
Hart, S. R, 1984, A large-scale isotope anomaly in the Southern Hemisphere mantle: Nature, v. 309, p. 753–757.
Haxby, W. F., 1987, Gravity field of the world’s oceans; Office of Naval Research: National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, Colorado, Approx. Scale 1:40, 000, 000.
Hilde, T. W. C., S. Uyeda, and L. Kroenke, 1977, Evolution of the Western Pacific and its margin: Tectonophysics, v. 38, p. 145–165.
Hill, D. P., and J. J. Zucca, 1987, Constraints on the structure of Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, Hawaii, and some implications for seismo-magmatic processes: Transactions of Conference on how volcanoes work, Hilo, Hawaii, 1987.
Keating, B. H., D. P. Mattey, C. E. Helsley, J. J. Naughton, D. Epp, A. Lazarewicz, and D. Schwank, 1984, Evidence for a hot spot origin of the Caroline Islands: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 89, p. 9937–9948.
Kellogg, J. N., and I. J. Ogujiofor, 1985, Gravity field analysis of Sio Guyot: An isostatically compensated seamount in the Mid-Pacific Mountains: Geo-Marine Letters, v. 5, p. 91–97.
Kellogg, J. N., B. S. Wedgeworth, and J. T. Freymueller, 1987, Isostatic compensation levels, and conduit structures of Western Pacific seamounts: Results of three-dimensional gravity modeling, inB. H. Keating, P. Fryer, R Batiza, and G. W. Boehlert, eds., Seamounts, Islands, and Atolls: Washington, D.C., American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Monograph 43, p. 85–96.
Kinoshita, W. K., H. L. Krivoy, D. R Mabey, and R R MacDonald, 1963, Gravity survey of the island of Hawaii: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 475-C, p. C114–116.
Kroenke, L. W., J. N. Kellogg, and K. Nemoto, 1985, Mid-Pacific Mountains revisited: Geo-Marine Letters, v. 5, p. 77–81
Lincoln, J. M., 1990, Regional tectonic history and Cenozoic sea levels deduced from drowned carbonate banks and atoll stratigraphy in the Marshall Islands, West Central Pacific Ocean: Ph.D. Dissertation, Northwestern University, 245 p.
Lindwall, D. A., 1988, A two-dimensional seismic investigation of crustal structure under the Hawaiian Islands near Oahu and Kauai: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 93, p. 12, 107–12, 122.
Livermore, R. A., F. J. Vine, and A. G. Smith, 1984, Plate motions and the geomagnetic field–II. Jurassic to Tertiary: Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 79, p. 939–961.
Mammerickx, J., 1982, Bathymetric Atlas of the Western Pacific: Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Matthews, J. L., B. C. Heezen, R Catalano, A. Coogan, M. Tharp, J. Natland, and M. Rawson, 1974, Cretaceous drowning of reefs on Mid-Pacific and Japanese guyots: Science, v. 184, p. 462–464.
Menard, H. W., 1984, Darwin reprise: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 89, p. 9960–9968.
McNutt, M. K., 1984, Lithospheric flexure and thermal anomalies: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 89, p. 11, 180–11, 194.
McNutt, M. K., and K. M. Fischer, 1987, The South Pacific superswell, inB. H. Keating, P. Fryer, R Batiza, and G. W. Boehlert, eds., Seamount, Islands, and Atolls: Washington, D.C., American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Monograph 43, p. 25–34.
McNutt, M. K., and K. M. Fischer, 1987, The South Pacific superswell, inB. H. Keating, P. Fryer, R Batiza, and G. W. Boehlert, eds., Seamount, Islands, and Atolls: Washington, D.C., American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Monograph 43, p. 25–34.
Natland, J. H. and E. Wright, 1984, Magmatic lineages and mantle sources of Cretaceous seamounts of the central Pacific [abst.]: Eos, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, v. 65, p. 1075–1076.
Nishimura, C. E. and D. W. Forsyth, 1985, Anomalous Love-wave phase velocities in the Pacific: sequential pure-path and spherical harmonic inversion: Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 81, p. 389–407.
Ozima, M., H. Masahiko, and K. Saito, 1977, 40Ar-39Ar ages of guyots in the western Pacific and discussion of their evolution: Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 51, p. 475–485.
Richard, J. J., 1962, International Volcanol. Ass., Naples.
Saito, K, and M. Ozima, 1977, 40Ar-39Ar geochronological studies on submarine rocks from the western Pacific area: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 33, p. 353–369.
Schwank. D. C., and A. R Lazarewicz, 1982, Estimation of seamount compensation using satellite altimetey. Geophysical Research Letters, v. 9, p. 907–910.
Schlanger, S. O., and I. Premoli Silva, 1981, Tectonic, volcanic, and paleogeographic implications of redeposited reef faunas of late Cretaceous and Tertiary age from the Nauru Basin and the Line Islands: Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, v. 61, p. 817–828.
Smith, W. H. F., H. Staudigel, A. B. Watts, and M. S. Pringle, 1989, The Magellan Seamounts: Early Cretaceous record of the South Pacific Isotopic and Thermal Anomaly: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 94, p.10, 501–10, 523.
Smoot, N. C., 1982, Guyots of the mid-Emperor chain mapped with multibeam sonar. Marine Geology, v. 47, p. 153–163.
Strange, W. E., G. P. Woollard, and J. C. Rose, 1965, An analysis of the gravity field over the Hawaiian Islands in terms of crustal structure: Pacific Science, v. 19, p. 381–389.
Suyenaga, W., 1978, Isostasy and flexure of the lithosphere under the Hawaiian Islands: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 84, p. 5599–5604.
Talandier, J., and E. A. Okal, 1987, Crustal structure in the Society and Tuamoto Islands, French Polynesia: Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 88, p. 499–528.
Thiede, J., T. L. Vallier, and others, 1981, Site 463: Western Mid-Pacific Mountains, DSDP Leg 62: Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, v. 62, p. 33–156.
Turcotte, D. L., and G. Schubert, 1982, Geodynamics: Applications of continuum physics to geological problems: John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Verhoef, J., 1984, A Geophysical Study of the Atlantis-Meteor Seamount Complex, Drukkerij Elinkwijk, B. V., Utrecht.
Vogt, P. R, and N. C. Smoot, 1984, The Geisha Guyots: Multibeam bathymetry and morphometric interpretation: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 89, p. 11, 085–11, 107.
Walcott, R. I.,1970, Flexure of the lithosphere at Hawaii: Tectonophysics, v. 9, p. 435–446.
Watts, A. B., 1978, An analysis of isostasy in the world’s oceans, Part 1. Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount chain: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 83, p. 5989–6004.
Watts, A. B., J. H. Bodine, and N. M. Ribe, 1980, Observations of flexure and the geological evolution of the Pacific ocean basin: Nature, v. 283, p. 532–537.
Watts, A. B., and N. M. Ribe, 1984, On geoid heights and flexure of the lithosphere at seamounts: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 89, p. 11, 152–11, 170.
Watts, A. B., U. S. ten Brink, P. Buhl, and T. M. Brocher, 1985, A multichannel seismic study of lithospheric flexure across the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain: Nature, v. 315, p. 105–111.
Wedgeworth, B. S., 1985, Ita Mai Tai Guyot: A comparative geophysical study of Western Pacific seamounts: M.S. Thesis, Univ. of Hawaii.
Wedgeworth, B. S., and J. N. Kellogg, 1987, A 3-D gravity-tectonic study of Ita Mai Tai Guyot, an uncompensated seamount in the East Marianas Basin, in B. H. Keating, P. Fryer, R Batiza, and G. W. Boehlert, eds.,Seamounts, Islands, and Atolls: Washington, D.C., American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Monograph 43, p. 73–84.
Winterer, E. L, and C. V. Metzler, 1984, Origin and subsidence of guyots in the Mid-Pacific Mountains: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 89, p. 9969–9979.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Freymueller, J.T., Kellogg, J.N. (1992). Isostasy and Tectonic Origins of Pacific Seamounts. In: Keating, B.H., Bolton, B.R. (eds) Geology and Offshore Mineral Resources of the Central Pacific Basin. Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources Earth Science Series, vol 14. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2896-7_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2896-7_4
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-97771-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2896-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive