Overview

• The June 25 Nature Geoscience paper confirmed rhythmic surges of molten mantle rock beneath the Afar triple junction in Ethiopia.
• Chemical barcoding of volcanic rocks revealed repeating geochemical bands that mark distinct mantle pulses.
• Variations in plate thickness and spreading rate were shown to control the efficiency and regularity of these upwellings across the Main Ethiopian, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifts.
• Dynamic mantle pulses focus surface volcanism and seismicity and drive the progressive thinning and rupture of continental crust that leads to new ocean basin formation.
• An international consortium has launched targeted studies to quantify mantle flow velocities and pathways to improve predictive models of rift evolution and associated hazards.