Grandaddy Magma Plume Found By Aries Keck, Discovery.com News June 21, 2000 — Scientists believe they've located the largest river of superhot rock that may connect the center of the Earth with Hawaii. Cutting like a laser beam through the Earth's mantle, this plume breaks through the Earth's surface and releases tons of magma under the Pacific Ocean. As the magma cools into rock, it creates massive underwater volcanoes, the tips of which are the Hawaiian Islands. Scientists have believed that geologic "hot spots" — areas of long-term volcanism fueled by magma plumes — like this one run so deep into the mantle that the plume essentially stays still as the massive tectonic plate of the Earth's crust glides overhead. The plate drags the top layers of the cooled rock with it, dotting oceans with strings of islands. Plumes of the World But, until now, it's always been a theory. A team lead by Rainer Kind, a geophysicist from the Geo-Research Institute in Potsdam, Germany, reports in the journal Nature that it found the magma plume 86 miles right below the main island of Hawaii by measuring the echoes of earthquakes. Large earthquakes give off vibrations that can travel through or bounce off layers of rock deep in the Earth. By knowing exactly when an earthquake happens, and comparing it to the time it takes to "hear" the earthquake somewhere else, scientists can measure the depth and size of these rock layers. The seismic echoes indicate an area with a density consistent with magma directly under Hawaii. Because they've found it near an area of the Earth thought to be one of the Earth's hot spots, the researchers believe this mantle plume originates deep inside the Earth, at the edge of the Earth's molten core. Others aren't entirely convinced. "They're making this connection that requires a little bit of a leap of faith," said Yang Shen, a geophysicist at the University of Rhode Island. Shen says their data doesn't clearly show that the plume continues down into the lower mantle. Shen himself found the first evidence connecting a known hot spot in Iceland to a magma plume deep in the lower mantle. "(They have) a very significant finding," Shen said, adding that what's needed is more data clearly showing the origin and dimensions of the plume. Kind's team is taking more seismic readings from the ocean floor near Hawaii. But his team says that the heat levels already support a deep mantle plume. Measurements indicate the plume is 1,650 degrees Celsius. "This is about 300 degrees Celsius hotter than normal mantle at this depth and at least 100 degrees hotter than the Iceland plume," said co-author Stephan Sobolev of the Geo-Research Institute. "(This) confirms expectations of scientists that the Granddaddy plume, the nickname of the Hawaiian plume, is really the hottest plume in the world," said Sobolev. Previous | Next <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html <A HREF="http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
