hotspot

Sydney geoscientist explains the hidden force behind the Tasman Sea’s twin volcano chains in The Conversation

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Congratulations to Associate Professor Maria Seton from the School of Geosciences. Her research on the origins of two underwater volcano chains in the Tasman Sea is featured in The Conversation. In the article, published on 18 September 2026, Associate Professor Seton and co-author Dr Ben Mather (ARC Early Career Industry Fellow, University of Melbourne) explain … Read more…

Parallel volcanic chains generated by plume-slab interaction

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Figure from Mather et al. (2026)

Using a 3D numerical model of mantle convection, the authors show how a single deep mantle plume can be split into two long-lived branches by a stagnating slab in the upper mantle, producing parallel volcanic chains. This explains why the Lord Howe and Tasmantid seamount chains in the SW Pacific have stayed 650–900 km apart … Read more…

Nature Geoscience: Dynamics of the abrupt change in Pacific Plate motion around 50 million years ago

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A drastic change in plate tectonics and mantle convection occurred around 50 Ma as exemplified by the prominent Hawaiian– Emperor Bend. Both an abrupt Pacific Plate motion change and a change in mantle plume dynamics have been proposed to account for the Hawaiian–Emperor Bend, but debates surround the relative contribution of the two mechanisms. Here … Read more…

G-Cubed: Papanin Ridge and Ojin Rise Seamounts (Northwest Pacific): Dual Hotspot Tracks Formed by the Shatsky Plume

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The origin of Shatsky Rise, a large igneous plateau in the NW Pacific, has long been debated. It could have either formed by shallow mantle melting due to its confirmed creation along a mid-ocean ridge or with additional contribution of deeper mantle material that upwelled as so-called mantle plume beneath the spreading ridge (“plume-ridge interaction”). … Read more…