Seismic surveys have detected the rhythmic pulsing of mantle plumes deep beneath Earth’s crust, offering new clues about past mass extinction events. Mantle plumes are upwellings of hot rock from deep within the planet that can drive volcanic activity and alter climate when they reach the surface over geological timescales.
Scientists used seismic imaging to observe periodic variations in plume activity rather than treating plumes as steady features. The pulsing pattern may correlate with episodes of intensified volcanism that released greenhouse gases and triggered environmental crises linked to extinction events in the geological record.
Mass extinctions have multiple causes, but large igneous province eruptions associated with mantle plumes are implicated in several of the most severe biodiversity collapses. Understanding plume dynamics helps researchers model how deep-Earth processes translate into surface catastrophes over thousands to millions of years.
The seismic data add temporal detail to models that previously described mantle plumes primarily in spatial terms. Geologists said continued monitoring and improved imaging resolution could refine connections between plume pulsing and specific extinction intervals documented in the fossil record.
Geodynamic models integrate seismic observations with volcanic eruption histories to assess whether pulsing plumes correlate with climate shifts recorded in ice cores and marine sediments. Improved imaging technology aboard research vessels enables longer-duration monitoring of mantle structures previously visible only through snapshot surveys separated by years or decades.
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Sources:
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