Destruction and regrowth of lithospheric mantle beneath large igneous provinces (Sedgwick Club Conference)

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• Simon Stephenson - University of Oxford
• Tuesday 23 April 2024, 11:30-12:00
• Department of Earth Sciences, Tilley Lecture Theatre.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Lucas Measures.

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) are formed by enormous (i.e., frequently >106 km3) but short-lived magmatic events that have profound effects upon global geodynamic, tectonic, and environmental processes. Lithospheric structure is known to modulate mantle melting, yet its evolution during and after such dramatic periods of magmatism is poorly constrained. Using geochemical and seismological observations, we find that magmatism is associated with thin (i.e., ≲80 km) lithosphere and we reveal a striking positive correlation between the thickness of modern-day lithosphere beneath LIPs and time since eruption. Our results point to systematic destruction and subsequent regrowth of lithospheric mantle during and after LIP emplacement and recratonization of the continents following eruption. These insights have implications for the stability, age, and composition of ancient, thick, and chemically distinct lithospheric roots, the distribution of economic resources, and emissions of chemical species that force catastrophic environmental change.

This talk is part of the Sedgwick Club talks series.

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• Department of Earth Sciences seminars
• Department of Earth Sciences, Tilley Lecture Theatre
• Sedgwick Club talks

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