Taukina seamounts

Taukina seamounts are a series of seamounts on the Pacific Plate. The Macdonald hotspot and the Ngatemato seamounts are located nearby.[1] The Taukina and Ngatemato seamounts were discovered in 1996 by the RV Maurice Ewing and both are named after families in Rapa Iti.[2]

The Taukina seamounts are formed by small volcanoes,[1] with heights of 1,500–1,000 metres (4,900–3,300 ft) and widths of 6–10 kilometres (3.7–6.2 mi).[3] They often feature a caldera on their summit.[1] Tholeiitic rocks make up the seamounts.[2]

The shape of the Taukina seamounts resembles that of the seamounts that form on the East Pacific Rise.[1] An alternate theory of origin is that the Ngatemato seamounts deformed the Pacific plate enough with their weight to trigger the eruption of magma.[2]

References
  1. Jordahl, Kelsey A.; McNutt, Marcia K.; Caress, David W. (2004-06-01). "Multiple episodes of volcanism in the Southern Austral Islands: Flexural constraints from bathymetry, seismic reflection, and gravity data". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 109 (B6): B06103. doi:10.1029/2003JB002885. ISSN 2156-2202.
  2. McNutt, M. K.; Caress, D. W.; Reynolds, J.; Jordahl, K. A.; Duncan, R. A. (1997-10-02). "Failure of plume theory to explain midplate volcanism in the southern Austral islands". Nature. 389 (6650): 479–482. doi:10.1038/39013. ISSN 0028-0836.
  3. Jordahl, K.; Caress, D.; McNutt, M.; Bonneville, A. (2004). Oceanic Hotspots. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. p. 22. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-18782-7_2. ISBN 9783642622908.
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