Low-degree mantle melting controls the deep seismicity and explosive volcanism of the Gakkel Ridge.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35661698.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-30797-4 and PMC identifier 9166806.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The world's strongest known spreading-related seismicity swarm occurred in 1999 in a segment of the Gakkel Ridge located at 85°E as a consequence of an effusive-explosive submarine volcanic eruption. The data of a seismic network deployed on ice floes were used to locate hundreds of local earthquakes down to ∼25 km depth and to build a seismic tomography model under the volcanic area. Here we show the seismicity and the distribution of seismic velocities together with the 3D magmatic-thermomechanical numerical model, which demonstrate how a magma reservoir under the Gakkel Ridge may form, rise and trigger volcanic eruptions in the rift valley. The ultraslow spreading rates with low mantle potential temperatures appear to be a critical factor in the production of volatile-rich, low-degree mantle melts that are focused toward the magma reservoirs within narrow magmatic sections. The degassing of these melts is the main cause of the explosive submarine eruptions.