Birth of a large volcanic edifice offshore Mayotte via lithosphere-scale dyke intrusion
Type | Article | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | 2021-10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Language | English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Author(s) | Feuillet Nathalie1, Jorry Stephan2, Crawford Wayne C.1, Deplus Christine1, Thinon Isabelle3, Jacques Eric1, Saurel Jean Marie1, Lemoine Anne3, Paquet Fabien3, Satriano Claudio1, Aiken Chastity2, Foix Oceane1, Kowalski Philippe1, Laurent Angèle1, Rinnert Emmanuel2, Cathalot Cecile2, Donval Jean-Pierre2, Guyader Vivien2, Gaillot Arnaud2, Scalabrin Carla2, Moreira Manuel1, Peltier Aline1, Beauducel François1, 4, Grandin Raphaël1, Ballu Valérie5, Daniel Romuald1, Pelleau Pascal2, Gomez Jérémy1, Besançon Simon1, Geli Louis2, Bernard Pascal1, Bachelery Patrick6, Fouquet Yves2, Bertil Didier3, Lemarchand Arnaud1, Van Der Woerd Jérome7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Affiliation(s) | 1 : Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France 2 : IFREMER, Unité Géosciences Marines, Technopole La Pointe du Diable, Plouzané, France 3 : Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières—BRGM, DGR/GBS, Orléans, France 4 : Université Grenoble Alpes, IRD, ISterre, Grenoble, France 5 : LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs) UMR7266, Université de La Rochelle—CNRS, La Rochelle, France 6 : Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, IRD, OPGC, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, Clermont-Ferrand, France 7 : Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg UMR7516 CNRS Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France |
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Source | Nature Geoscience (1752-0894) (Springer Science and Business Media LLC), 2021-10 , Vol. 14 , N. 10 , P. 787-795 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DOI | 10.1038/s41561-021-00809-x | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WOS© Times Cited | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abstract | Volcanic eruptions shape Earth’s surface and provide a window into deep Earth processes. How the primary asthenospheric melts form, pond and ascend through the lithosphere is, however, still poorly understood. Since 10 May 2018, magmatic activity has occurred offshore eastern Mayotte (North Mozambique channel), associated with large surface displacements, very-low-frequency earthquakes and exceptionally deep earthquake swarms. Here we present geophysical and marine data from the MAYOBS1 cruise, which reveal that by May 2019, this activity formed an 820-m-tall, ~5 km³ volcanic edifice on the seafloor. This is the largest active submarine eruption ever documented. Seismic and deformation data indicate that deep (>55 km depth) magma reservoirs were rapidly drained through dykes that intruded the entire lithosphere and that pre-existing subvertical faults in the mantle were reactivated beneath an ancient caldera structure. We locate the new volcanic edifice at the tip of a 50-km-long ridge composed of many other recent edifices and lava flows. This volcanic ridge is an extensional feature inside a wide transtensional boundary that transfers strain between the East African and Madagascar rifts. We propose that the massive eruption originated from hot asthenosphere at the base of a thick, old, damaged lithosphere. |
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