Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics

Watts, Emma; Rees, Rhiannon; Jonathan, Philip; Keir, Derek; Taylor, Rex N.; Siegburg, Melanie; Chambers, Emma L.; Pagli, Carolina; Cooper, Matthew J.; Michalik, Agnes; Milton, J. Andrew; Hincks, Thea K.; Gebru, Ermias F.; Ayele, Atalay; Abebe, Bekele; Gernon, Thomas M.

doi:10.1038/s41561-025-01717-0

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Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics

Emma Watts

, Rhiannon Rees, Philip Jonathan

, Derek Keir

, Rex N. Taylor, Melanie Siegburg

, Emma L. Chambers

, Carolina Pagli

, Matthew J. Cooper

, Agnes Michalik, J. Andrew Milton, Thea K. Hincks, Ermias F. Gebru

, Atalay Ayele

, Bekele Abebe, Thomas M. Gernon

Nature Geoscience, Volume: 18, Issue: 7, Pages: 661 - 669

Swansea University Author: Emma Watts

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DOI (Published version): 10.1038/s41561-025-01717-0

Abstract

Mantle upwellings drive large-scale surface volcanism and facilitate continental breakup and ocean basin formation. However, the spatial characteristics and internal composition of these upwellings alongside how they are modified by plate tectonics are poorly resolved. Afar, East Africa, is a classi...

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Published in:	Nature Geoscience
ISSN:	1752-0894 1752-0908
Published:	Springer Nature 2025
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69606

first_indexed	2025-06-02T09:41:47Z
last_indexed	2025-07-19T04:50:37Z
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spelling	2025-07-18T12:59:41.6551982 v2 69606 2025-06-02 Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics 69b281cd206eaacf311ff17818ad48af 0000-0001-6823-395X Emma Watts Emma Watts true false 2025-06-02 BGPS Mantle upwellings drive large-scale surface volcanism and facilitate continental breakup and ocean basin formation. However, the spatial characteristics and internal composition of these upwellings alongside how they are modified by plate tectonics are poorly resolved. Afar, East Africa, is a classic triple junction comprising three rifts at various stages of evolution thought to be underlain by a mantle upwelling or plume, allowing examination of the controls on the mantle upwelling. Here we present geochemical data from >130 samples of ‘young’ volcanoes spanning the rifts defining the triple junction to show that the underlying mantle comprises a single, asymmetric upwelling. Using statistical modelling to integrate our data with existing geochemical and geophysical constraints, we suggest that Afar is fed by a spatially and chemically heterogeneous upwelling, which controls the composition and relative abundance of melt in all three rift arms. We identify repetitive signatures in mantle compositions in rift regions, whose variability is a longer wavelength in faster-extending rift arms. This suggests more rapid channelized mantle flow occurs where rifting rates are higher and the plate is thinner, aiding flow of the upwelling towards the faster-spreading Red Sea Rift. Our findings demonstrate how the evolution of mantle upwellings is influenced by the dynamics of overriding plates. Journal Article Nature Geoscience 18 7 661 669 Springer Nature 1752-0894 1752-0908 1 7 2025 2025-07-01 10.1038/s41561-025-01717-0 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) E.J.W. was supported by Natural Environmental Research Council UK through the SPITFIRE Doctoral Training Partnership (grant number NE/L002531/1) and Wyley Fund of the Geologists’ Association. E.J.W. is currently supported as part of the UKRI FLF award held at Swansea University (MR/Y011767/1). T.M.G. and T.K.H. receive funding from the WoodNext Foundation, a component fund administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation. 2025-07-18T12:59:41.6551982 2025-06-02T10:39:42.2002007 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Geography Emma Watts 0000-0001-6823-395X 1 Rhiannon Rees 2 Philip Jonathan 0000-0001-7651-9181 3 Derek Keir 0000-0001-8787-8446 4 Rex N. Taylor 5 Melanie Siegburg 0000-0001-5669-9402 6 Emma L. Chambers 0000-0001-6969-2920 7 Carolina Pagli 0000-0002-9072-3004 8 Matthew J. Cooper 0000-0002-2130-2759 9 Agnes Michalik 10 J. Andrew Milton 11 Thea K. Hincks 12 Ermias F. Gebru 0000-0002-7816-5687 13 Atalay Ayele 0000-0002-8726-5380 14 Bekele Abebe 15 Thomas M. Gernon 0000-0002-7717-2092 16 69606__34664__fde88312a945408684c3703d37166ca0.pdf 69606.VoR.pdf 2025-07-03T14:06:05.7904166 Output 3597053 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics
spellingShingle	Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics Emma Watts
title_short	Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics
title_full	Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics
title_fullStr	Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics
title_full_unstemmed	Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics
title_sort	Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics
author_id_str_mv	69b281cd206eaacf311ff17818ad48af
author_id_fullname_str_mv	69b281cd206eaacf311ff17818ad48af_***_Emma Watts
author	Emma Watts
author2	Emma Watts Rhiannon Rees Philip Jonathan Derek Keir Rex N. Taylor Melanie Siegburg Emma L. Chambers Carolina Pagli Matthew J. Cooper Agnes Michalik J. Andrew Milton Thea K. Hincks Ermias F. Gebru Atalay Ayele Bekele Abebe Thomas M. Gernon
format	Journal article
container_title	Nature Geoscience
container_volume	18
container_issue	7
container_start_page	661
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institution	Swansea University
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doi_str_mv	10.1038/s41561-025-01717-0
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department_str	School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Geography{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Geography
document_store_str	1
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description	Mantle upwellings drive large-scale surface volcanism and facilitate continental breakup and ocean basin formation. However, the spatial characteristics and internal composition of these upwellings alongside how they are modified by plate tectonics are poorly resolved. Afar, East Africa, is a classic triple junction comprising three rifts at various stages of evolution thought to be underlain by a mantle upwelling or plume, allowing examination of the controls on the mantle upwelling. Here we present geochemical data from >130 samples of ‘young’ volcanoes spanning the rifts defining the triple junction to show that the underlying mantle comprises a single, asymmetric upwelling. Using statistical modelling to integrate our data with existing geochemical and geophysical constraints, we suggest that Afar is fed by a spatially and chemically heterogeneous upwelling, which controls the composition and relative abundance of melt in all three rift arms. We identify repetitive signatures in mantle compositions in rift regions, whose variability is a longer wavelength in faster-extending rift arms. This suggests more rapid channelized mantle flow occurs where rifting rates are higher and the plate is thinner, aiding flow of the upwelling towards the faster-spreading Red Sea Rift. Our findings demonstrate how the evolution of mantle upwellings is influenced by the dynamics of overriding plates.
published_date	2025-07-01T05:22:47Z
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Mantle upwelling at Afar triple junction shaped by overriding plate dynamics

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