Andy Saunders et al. critically examine geological evidence for regional uplift in five continental flood basalt provinces (Emeishan Traps, North Atlantic, Deccan Traps, Siberian Traps, Yellowstone) as a case study. Each of these five provinces is associated with a surface uplift. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The authors believe that the models we are trying to explain for the formation of LIPs without hot mantle plumes have difficulty explaining surface uplift, rifting and magmatism. . They conclude that inception plume models remain the most compelling way to explain the formation of LIPs. Saunders suggested that in Iceland the plume is the cause of the large volumes of basalt and the only reason why the oceanic crust is thick (30 km) despite its presence in the MOR. The newly developed Al-in-olivine geothermometer was used to determine the olivine-Cr-spinel crystallization temperature of a picrite suite spanning the spatial and temporal extent of the North Atlantic Igneous Provinces (NAIP), which is widely accepted as the result. of the deep mantle plume that currently underlies Iceland. Iceland is the only part of the NAIP that remains active. Here, the Al-in-olivine thermometer calibrated by Wan et al. (2008) and extended by Coogan et al. (2014) is used. The Al content of olivine phenocrysts was measured using the Cameca SX100 electron microprobe at the University of Edinburgh. The geothermometer is based solely on the temperature dependence of Al exchange between olivine and Cr-spinel and is largely independent of pressure and melt composition. An estimation of these parameters is therefore not necessary to calculate the crystallization temperatures of olivine. It is found that large-scale changes in the crustal architecture of the North Atlantic region can be explained by long-term cooling of the Iceland plume up to 35 Ma, followed by a gradual increase in temperatures until today. This suggests that mantle plumes are sensitive to long-term (107 years) temperature fluctuations throughout their lifetime. The Al-in-olivine thermometry data thus confirm that the start-up plumes are associated with an abnormally hot mantle pulse over a large spatial extent. area before concentrating in a narrow upwelling. These findings are independent of traditional petrological approaches to estimating mantle temperature and provide another strong element to the growing body of evidence indicating that the temperature of the mantle source region of the LIPs is significantly higher than that beneath the mid-ridges. -oceanic. However, some authors have argued that a mantle plume is not necessary to produce increased melting beneath Iceland (Foulger and Anderson, 2005; Foulger et al., 2005). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayFor LIPs Saunders suggested that their initial bursts are due to the sudden increase in mantle flow as the plume head starts. Their sudden bursts could also be the result of initial decompression associated with lithospheric extension of the overlying plate. A related process is the Reunion hotspot which lay beneath India in the late Cretaceous forming Deccan Traps..