The Hotspot Beneath Hawaii Is Getting Hotter, Defying a Long-Held Geological Theory

The Hotspot Beneath Hawaii Is Getting Hotter, Defying a Long-Held Geological Theory

Rising mantle temperatures and two heat surges may explain why some Hawaiian volcanoes grew exceptionally large. A 3500 km (2200 mile) trail of volcanoes records the Pacific plate’s slow passage over the Hawaiian hotspot. Instead of cooling through time as geologists have generally expected, the mantle plume beneath this chain appears to have warmed by [...]

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Hawaiʻi’s Mantle Plume Is Getting Hotter over Time

New research shows the Hawaiian mantle plume has gotten hotter by about 250°C (480°F) over the past 47 million years.

Convection Inside the Mantle

Most of what we know about Earth’s interior comes from observing how seismic waves–mostly from earthquakes–bounce around. As our observations have gotten better–more seisometers, better imaging techniques–scientists have identified two large anomalies sitting near the bottom of the mantle. Known as large low-velocity provinces, or LLVPs, these zones take up continent-sized areas beneath parts of Africa and the Pacific. Seismic waves show lower s…