Scientists have discovered that one of the most extreme volcanic events in Earth's history did more than build a massive underwater plateau. It also altered the structure and chemistry of the oceanic plate beneath it.
A research team led by Lecturer Azusa Shito of Okayama University of Science, working with Associate Professor Akira Ishikawa of the Institute of Science Tokyo and Professor Masako Yoshikawa of Hiroshima University, used seismic waves to investigate the deep structure beneath the Ontong Java Plateau. Their results suggest that enormous volumes of magma pushed through the existing plate, creating networks of vertical intrusions and chemically transforming the surrounding rock.
The findings were published in Geophysical Research Letters.
A Hidden Structure Beneath the Ontong Java Plateau
The oceanic plate beneath the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) does not appear to have the relatively simple structure expected of a typical oceanic plate. Instead, the researchers found evidence of a composite interior made up of horizontal layers crossed by swarms of vertical magma pathways.
