Hotspot swells and the lifespan of volcanic ocean islands
Name
eaaw6906.full.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
775.21 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
ab0aaa21fcdbe16a6e4574d5c22b024c
Author(s)
Huppert, Kimberly L.
Perron, J. Taylor
Royden, Leigh H.
Royden, Leigh H
Date Issued
January 2020
Journal
Science Advances
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Citation
Huppert, Kimberly L. et al. "Hotspot swells and the lifespan of volcanic ocean islands." Science Advances 6, 1 (January 2020): eaaw6906 © 2020 The Authors
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Volcanic ocean islands generally form on swells—seafloor that is shallower than expected for its age over areas hundreds to more than a thousand kilometers wide—and ultimately subside to form atolls and guyots (flat-topped seamounts). The mechanisms of island drowning remain enigmatic, however, and the subaerial lifespan of volcanic islands varies widely. We examine swell bathymetry and island drowning at 14 hotspots and find a correspondence between island lifespan and residence time atop swell bathymetry, implying that islands drown as tectonic plate motion transports them past mantle sources of swell uplift. This correspondence argues strongly for dynamic uplift of the lithosphere at ocean hotspots. Our results also explain global variations in island lifespan, which influence island topography, biodiversity, and climate.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw6906
