WHAT IS A MANTLE PLUME?

HEAT TRANSFER BETWEEN THE CORE AND THE MANTLE DRIVES THE
FORMATION OF PLUMES OF EXTREMELY HOT ROCK WITHIN THE MANTLE OF
THE EARTH. THE MUSHROOM-SHAPED CAP OF THE ASCENDING COLUMN
OF HEATED ROCK REACHES THE LITHOSPHERE'S BASE, WHERE IT
EXPANDS. PLUME HEAT FLOWS TO THE LOWER LITHOSPHERE, WHERE
TEMPERATURES CLIMB OVER THE MELTING POINT, TO FORM MAGMA
CHAMBERS THAT FEED VOLCANOES ON EARTH'S SURFACE. IT IS A
SUPPLEMENTARY MECHANISM FOR HEAT TO ESCAPE THE PLANET.

I. HOW DOES ITS PRESENCE EXPLAIN THE OCCURRENCE OF

VOLCANOES IN AREAS FAR FROM THE TECTONIC PLATE
BOUNDARIES?
VOLCANOES THAT OCCUR IN REMOTE AREAS ARE KNOWN AS HOT SPOTS.
UNDER THE TECTONIC PLATES, MANTLE PLUMES GENERATE THE HOT SPOT,
WHICH MAY RESULT IN THE FORMATION OF A CHAIN OF VOLCANOES ON
EARTH'S SURFACE.

II. WHY IS THE MANTLE PLUME HYPOTHESIS NOT YET

UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED?
VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IS NOT USUALLY EXPLAINED BY MANTLE PLUMES
RISING FROM THE EARTH'S MANTLE TO THE SURFACE. AS A RESULT, A
PROGRESSION OF HYPOTHESES, INCLUDING MINI-PLUMES AND PULSING
PLUMES, HAS BEEN REQUIRED. THE PLATE MODEL IS REGARDED BY SOME
AS AN EXPLANATION FOR THE EXISTENCE OF EXCEPTIONALLY VAST
VOLCANIC ZONES. MAGMA SEEPS FROM THE MANTLE INTO THE EARTH'S
CRUST AT DEPTHS WHERE THE LITHOSPHERE HAS BEEN STRETCHED, AND
PLATE TECTONIC PROCESSES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAJORITY OF
VOLCANISM. NEVERTHELESS, INTRAPLATE EXTENSION IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR VOLCANIC ACTIVITY FAR FROM PLATE BORDERS.

III. WHAT ARE THE EVIDENCES CITED IN SUPPORT OF ITS

PRESENCE, AS WELL AS THE TWO (2) ALTERNATIVE
EXPLANATIONS CONSIDERED?
A MANTLE PLUME IS BELIEVED TO ENHANCE MANTLE CONVECTION.
BECAUSE THE PLUME HEAD PARTIALLY MELTS AT SHALLOW DEPTHS,
VOLCANIC HOTSPOTS LIKE HAWAII AND ICELAND AND ENORMOUS
IGNEOUS ZONES LIKE THE DECCAN AND SIBERIAN TRAPS ARE USUALLY
LINKED TO PLUMES. SOME OF THESE VOLCANIC PLACES ARE SEPARATED
BY TECTONIC PLATE BOUNDARIES, WHILE THE PLATE BOUNDARIES
THEMSELVES CONTAIN ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF VOLCANISM.
GROUP 1
ANGELES, JOHN LUDWIG
BALTAZAR, KIT SIMON
CLEMENTE, MANUEL ANGELO

REFERENCE:
FORUMIAS.COM. (2021, APRIL 22). [ANSWERED] DEFINE MANTLE PLUME AND EXPLAIN ITS ROLE
IN PLATE TECTONICS. FORUMIAS BLOG. RETRIEVED JUNE 1, 2022, FROM
HTTPS://BLOG.FORUMIAS.COM/ANSWERED-DEFINE-MANTLE-PLUME-AND-EXPLAIN-ITS-ROLE-
IN-PLATE-TECTONICS/
NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.ORG. (2018). HOT SPOTS. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY.
RETRIEVED JUNE 1, 2022, FROM
HTTPS://EDUCATION.NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.ORG/RESOURCE/HOT-SPOTS
GEOLOGY.FANDOM.COM. (N.D.). MANTLE PLUME. GEOLOGY WIKI. RETRIEVED JUNE 1, 2022,
FROM
HTTPS://GEOLOGY.FANDOM.COM/WIKI/MANTLE_PLUME#:~:TEXT=THE%20HYPOTHESIS%20OF
%20MANTLE%20PLUMES,REGIONS%20IS%20THE%20PLATE%20MODEL.
HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/MANTLE_PLUME