Overview

• Seismic imaging and billion-year geodynamic models reveal two basal mantle structures beneath the African and Pacific hemispheres
• These ‘BLOBS’ act as deep-Earth sources for mantle plumes that transport magma from nearly 3,000 kilometers below to fuel giant eruptions
• Statistical analysis links modeled plume emergence from the BLOBS with the locations of major volcanic events around 300 million years ago
• A key unanswered question is whether the BLOBS remain stationary or migrate via mantle convection beneath Earth’s surface
• Insights into BLOBS’ behavior could improve volcanic hazard forecasting and guide exploration for magmatic resources such as kimberlite and diamonds