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Thermal response of the mantle following the formation of a “super‐plate”
Author(s) -
Heron P. J.,
Lowman J. P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2010gl045136
Subject(s) - hotspot (geology) , geology , supercontinent , mantle (geology) , subduction , mantle convection , plate tectonics , mantle wedge , geophysics , continental margin , mantle plume , earth science , paleontology , tectonics , lithosphere , craton
Evidence indicating that the mantle below Pangea was characterized by elevated temperatures supports the widely held view that a supercontinent insulates the underlying mantle. Implementing a 3D model of mantle convection featuring distinct oceanic and continental plates, we explore different effects of supercontinent formation on mantle evolution. We find that a halt in subduction along the margins of the site of the continental collision is sufficient to enable the formation of mantle plumes below a composite “super‐plate” and that the addition of continental properties that contribute to insulation have little effect on sub‐continental temperature. Our findings show that the mean temperature below a supercontinent surpasses that below the oceanic plates when the former is a perfect insulator but that continental thermal insulation plays only a minor role in the growth of sub‐supercontinent mantle plumes. We suggest that the growth of a super‐oceanic plate can equally encourage the appearance of underlying upwellings.