Overview

• Scientists sampled more than 130 volcanic rocks around the Afar triple junction, where the Ethiopian, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifts meet
• Distinct chemical bands in the samples form ‘geological barcodes’ that reveal rhythmic upwellings of hot mantle ascending in heartbeat-like pulses
• The pulses vary in efficiency based on plate thickness and spreading rate, moving more smoothly under fast-spreading arms like the Red Sea rift
• Researchers found that these dynamic mantle upwellings influence surface volcanism and earthquake patterns in the Afar region
• With the initial study complete, the team will next investigate the speed and pathways of mantle flow to refine models of continental breakup and new ocean formation