Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Petit‐spot volcanism occurs in intraplate settings along the outer rise of subducting plates. Here we present evidence for petit‐spot type of volcanism from multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data from the Puerto Rico Trench (PRT). It is the first report of such volcanism in the Atlantic basin. Up to 34 possible petit‐spot volcanic cones are mapped in the eastern section of the PRT, with an average diameter of 950 m and a mean height of 92 m. The seamounts are in a region of the PRT that has the longest and highest bending faults, up to 50.6 km long and 1.49 km high. Some of the volcanic cones are associated with fault scarps. The larger bending fault scarps in the region of the volcanic cones suggest the stress state in the eastern PRT is favorable for allowing asthenospheric melt to escape to the surface.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2024gl114362
Institutions: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, United States Geological Survey, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Language: English
Subfield: Geophysics
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
Funder: National Science Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W4410791748