SciencePhys.orgHow one plume of hot rock built two volcano chains off Australia's coast
Scientists have worked out why two nearly identical volcano chains sit side by side off Australia's east coast: one deep plume split in two around a stalled slab of ocean floor.
Lord Howe Island sits about 600 kilometers (370 miles) off the New South Wales coast, a crescent of rainforest and sea cliffs that draws visitors to its beaches and birdlife. Few people realize they are standing on the worn-down remains of a volcano.
New research published in Gondwana Research has for the first time explained how two parallel chains of volcanoes formed off Australia's east coast.
A single deep mantle plume split into two branches after hitting a stalled slab of old ocean floor about 500 kilometres down, creating both the Lord Howe and Tasmantid chains.
The finding resolves a long-standing geological puzzle, as the two chains have nearly identical lava chemistry and have remained side by side for 40 million years.
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