... more on proposed
plume "head-tail" associations |
The size of the Réunion volcanic construct has been overestimated by a large factor. Detailed studies by French scientists have established that it is an emerged seamount of moderate size, built on an abandoned ridge-transform boundary. It represents the reactivation of an old transform fault and possibly renewed activity of an abandoned ridge. There is no obvious hotspot track and the relation to Deccan volcanism has been shown to be highly questionable (Burke,1996; Sheth, 1999). The Kerguelen - Rajmahal connection is discussed by Favela & Anderson (1999). The Kerguelen Plateau is underlain by continental crust, which is not accounted for in the plume head-tail model. The Jan Mayen-Siberian connection is questioned by geologists (Czamanski, 1998) and also cannot account for the fact that Jan Mayen is a microcontinent. The Monteregian Hills-Corner seamount connection is questioned by McHone (2000). The status of the Ontong Java Plateau as a plume head is questionable, given its low elevation and lack of a candidate "plume tail". |
References
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