Open AccessHigh 3 He/ 4 He in central Panama reveals a distal connection to the Galápagos plume
Author(s) -
David V. Bekaert,
Esteban Gazel,
Scott S. Turner,
M. D. Behn,
J. Marten de Moor,
Sabin Zahirovic,
Vlad Constantin Manea,
Kaj Hoernle,
Tobias P. Fischer,
Alexander Hammerstrom,
Alan Seltzer,
Justin T. Kulongoski,
Bhavik H. Patel,
M. O. Schrenk,
Sæmundur A. Halldórsson,
Mayuko Nakagawa,
Carlos Ramírez,
John A. Krantz,
Mustafa Yücel,
C. J. Ballentine,
Donato Giovannelli,
Karen G. Lloyd,
Peter H. Barry
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2110997118
Subject(s) - geology , plume , mantle (geology) , hotspot (geology) , mantle plume , upwelling , asthenosphere , geochemistry , lithosphere , radiogenic nuclide , mantle wedge , geophysics , volcanism , lava , petrology , volcano , oceanography , tectonics , paleontology , physics , thermodynamics
Significance We report the discovery of anomalously high3 He/4 He in “cold” geothermal fluids of central Panama, far from any active volcanoes. Combined with independent constraints from lava geochemistry, mantle source geochemical anomalies in Central America require a Galápagos plume contribution that is not derived from hotspot track recycling. Instead, these signals likely originate from large-scale transport of Galápagos plume material at sublithospheric depths. Mantle flow modeling and geophysical observations further indicate these geochemical anomalies could result from a Galápagos plume-influenced asthenospheric “mantle wind” that is actively “blowing” through a slab window beneath central Panama. The lateral transport of plume material represents a potentially widespread yet underappreciated mechanism that scatters enriched geochemical signatures in mantle domains far from plumes.