Mantle plume and rift-related volcanism during the evolution of the Rio Grande Rise

Abstract The Rio Grande Rise in the western South Atlantic Ocean has been interpreted as either an oceanic plateau related to the Tristan-Gough mantle plume, or a fragment of detached continental crust. Here we present new major and trace element data for volcanic rocks from the western and eastern...

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Published inCommunications earth & environment Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 1 - 10
Main Authors Hoyer, Patrick A., Haase, Karsten M., Regelous, Marcel, O’Connor, John M., Homrighausen, Stephan, Geissler, Wolfram H., Jokat, Wilfried
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group 01.12.2022
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
Basalt
Chains
Continental crust
Dredging
Geochemistry
Isotopes
Lava
Lithosphere
Rifting
Rocks
Seamounts
Trace elements
Volcanic activity
Volcanic rocks
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Summary:Abstract The Rio Grande Rise in the western South Atlantic Ocean has been interpreted as either an oceanic plateau related to the Tristan-Gough mantle plume, or a fragment of detached continental crust. Here we present new major and trace element data for volcanic rocks from the western and eastern Rio Grande Rise and the adjacent Jean Charcot Seamount Chain. The eastern Rio Grande Rise and older parts of the western Rio Grande Rise are comprised of tholeiitic basalt with moderately enriched trace element compositions and likely formed above the Tristan-Gough mantle plume close to the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Younger alkalic lavas from the western Rio Grande Rise and the Jean Charcot Seamount Chain were formed by lower degrees of melting beneath thicker lithosphere in an intraplate setting possibly during rifting of the plateau. There is no clear geochemical evidence that remnants of continental crust are present beneath the Rio Grande Rise.
ISSN:2662-4435
2662-4435
DOI:10.1038/s43247-022-00349-1