TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fromm, T.
A1  - Planert, Lars
A1  - Jokat, Wilfried
A1  - Ryberg, Trond
A1  - Behrmann, Jan H.
A1  - Weber, Michael H.
A1  - Haberland, Christian
T1  - South Atlantic opening: A plume-induced breakup?
T2  - Geology
N2  - Upwelling hot mantle plumes are thought to disintegrate continental lithosphere and are considered to be drivers of active continental breakup. The formation of the Walvis Ridge during the opening of the South Atlantic is related to a putative plume-induced breakup. We investigated the crustal structure of the Walvis Ridge (southeast Atlantic Ocean) at its intersection with the continental margin and searched for anomalies related to the possible plume head. The overall structure we identify suggests that no broad plume head existed during opening of the South Atlantic and anomalous mantle melting occurred only locally. We therefore question the importance of a plume head as a driver of continental breakup and further speculate that the hotspot was present before the rifting, leaving a track of kimberlites in the African craton.
Y1  - 2015
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/38571
SN  - 0091-7613
SN  - 1943-2682
VL  - 43
IS  - 10
SP  - 931
EP  - 934
PB  - American Institute of Physics
CY  - Boulder
ER  -