Nannofossils in 2011 El Hierro eruptive products reinstate plume model for Canary Islands.

ABSTRACT: The origin and life cycle of ocean islands have been debated since the early days of Geology. In the case of the Canary archipelago, its proximity to the Atlas orogen led to initial fracture-controlled models for island genesis, while later workers cited a Miocene-Quaternary east-west age-progression to support an underlying mantle-plume. The recent discovery of submarine Cretaceous volcanic rocks near the westernmost island of El Hierro now questions this systematic age-progression within the archipelago. If a mantle-plume is indeed responsible for the Canaries, the onshore volcanic age-progression should be complemented by progressively younger pre-island sedimentary strata towards the west, however, direct age constraints for the westernmost pre-island sediments are lacking. Here we rep

SUBMITTER: Zaczek K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4302296 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature