Cause of Ancient Volcanic Eruptions Lasting Tens of Millions of Years Identified by New Study

The researchers’ discovery is expected, among other useful science, to help establish “what factors can control the start and end of volcanic activity”.

A lengthy series of supervolcano eruptions that occurred in the ancient past, lasting from around 122 million years ago to 90 million years ago, was the result of “a subterranean ‘conveyor belt’ of magma, pushing up to Earth’s surface for millions of years”, Science Alert reported, citing new international research led by scientists from the Curtin University in Australia.

According to the media outlet, this process took place on the Kerguelen Plateau, which now rests beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean, with researchers remarking that the resulting “accumulation of magma and lava” presents an opportunity to “trace volcanic activity back through time”.

The research suggests that this lengthy volcanic activity was made possible by The Kerguelen Plateau’s “unique configuration” in the form of “a mantle plume combining with slow spreading mid-ocean ridges channelling the magma upwards”.

And as Curtin University geochronologist Fred Jourdan, who was also involved in the study, added, discovering this “long, continuous eruption activity” helps “understand what factors can control the start and end of volcanic activity”.

Sourse: sputniknews.com