Abstract
The effect of mantle plumes is secondary to that of subducting slabs for
modern plate tectonics, e.g. when considering plate driving forces.
However, the impact of plumes on tectonics and planetary surface
evolution may nonetheless have been significant. We use numerical mantle
convection models in a 3-D spherical chunk geometry with damage rheology
to study some of the potential dynamics of plume-slab interactions.
Substantiating our earlier work which was restricted to 2-D geometries,
we observe a range of interesting plume dynamics, including plume-driven
subduction terminations, even though the new models allow for more
realistic flow. We explore such plume-slab interactions, including in
terms of their geometry, frequency, and the overall effect of plumes on
surface dynamics as a function of the fraction of internal to bottom
heating. Some versions of such plume-slab interplay may be relevant for
geologic events, e.g. for the inferred ~183 Ma Karoo
large igneous province formation and associated slab disruption. More
recent examples may include the impingement of the Afar plume underneath
Africa leading to disruption of the Hellenic slab, and the current
complex structure imaged for the subduction of the Nazca plate under
South America. Our results imply that plumes may play a significant role
not just in kick-starting plate tectonics, but also in major
modifications of slab-driven plate motions, including for the
present-day mantle.