Large Igneous Provinces and the Mantle Plume Hypothesis

Mantle plumes are columns of hot, solid material that originate deep in the mantle, probably at the core–mantle boundary. Laboratory and numerical models replicating conditions appropriate to the mantle show that mantle plumes have a regular and predictable shape that allows a number of testable predictions to be made. New mantle plumes are predicted to consist of a large head, 1000 km in diameter, followed by a narrower tail. Initial eruption of basalt from a plume head should be preceded by ~1000 m of domal uplift. High-temperature magmas are expected to dominate the first eruptive products of a new plume and should be concen- trated near the centre of the volcanic province. All of these predictions are confirmed by observations.