Volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in Afar (Ethiopia) since 2-2.5 million years ago
Abstract Magma-rich continental rifting and breakup commonly show complex distributions of volcanism, potentially due to both plume and rifting controls. As such, interpreting the main controls on the spatial evolution of magmatism is debated, as is the point at which continental rifting transitions...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02356-4 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850125757264691200 |
|---|---|
| author | Gianmaria Tortelli Anna Gioncada Carolina Pagli Dan N. Barfod Giacomo Corti Federico Sani Darren F. Mark Ross C. Dymock Ermias F. Gebru Derek Keir |
| author_facet | Gianmaria Tortelli Anna Gioncada Carolina Pagli Dan N. Barfod Giacomo Corti Federico Sani Darren F. Mark Ross C. Dymock Ermias F. Gebru Derek Keir |
| author_sort | Gianmaria Tortelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Magma-rich continental rifting and breakup commonly show complex distributions of volcanism, potentially due to both plume and rifting controls. As such, interpreting the main controls on the spatial evolution of magmatism is debated, as is the point at which continental rifting transitions to oceanic spreading. Here we present new argon-argon dating of 16 lava flows from the Stratoid and Gulf series of the Afar rift. We reconstruct the spatio-temporal evolution of the rift from widely distributed to localised along narrow magmatic segments (i.e., rift localisation). Our results rule out an ocean spreading-like style of rifting. We show that over 2–2.5 million years since the early Pleistocene, the rift progressively narrowed by asymmetric in-rift localisation and propagated along-rift. Concurrently, the mantle partial melting and the crustal magmatic system shallowed. While mantle plume-related elevated temperatures influence overall melt volumes, our results suggest that the rapid and localised changes in plate thinning caused by rifting are the primary control on the spatio-temporal distribution of volcanism. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-60cd616a39ba44eca225447edf2f5f8b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-60cd616a39ba44eca225447edf2f5f8b2025-08-20T02:34:04ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-05-016111010.1038/s43247-025-02356-4Volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in Afar (Ethiopia) since 2-2.5 million years agoGianmaria Tortelli0Anna Gioncada1Carolina Pagli2Dan N. Barfod3Giacomo Corti4Federico Sani5Darren F. Mark6Ross C. Dymock7Ermias F. Gebru8Derek Keir9Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di FirenzeDipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di PisaDipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di PisaNEIF Argon Isotope Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC)Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse, Consiglio Nazionale delle RicercheDipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di FirenzeNEIF Argon Isotope Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC)NEIF Argon Isotope Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC)Department of Geosciences, University of FribourgDipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di FirenzeAbstract Magma-rich continental rifting and breakup commonly show complex distributions of volcanism, potentially due to both plume and rifting controls. As such, interpreting the main controls on the spatial evolution of magmatism is debated, as is the point at which continental rifting transitions to oceanic spreading. Here we present new argon-argon dating of 16 lava flows from the Stratoid and Gulf series of the Afar rift. We reconstruct the spatio-temporal evolution of the rift from widely distributed to localised along narrow magmatic segments (i.e., rift localisation). Our results rule out an ocean spreading-like style of rifting. We show that over 2–2.5 million years since the early Pleistocene, the rift progressively narrowed by asymmetric in-rift localisation and propagated along-rift. Concurrently, the mantle partial melting and the crustal magmatic system shallowed. While mantle plume-related elevated temperatures influence overall melt volumes, our results suggest that the rapid and localised changes in plate thinning caused by rifting are the primary control on the spatio-temporal distribution of volcanism.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02356-4 |
| spellingShingle | Gianmaria Tortelli Anna Gioncada Carolina Pagli Dan N. Barfod Giacomo Corti Federico Sani Darren F. Mark Ross C. Dymock Ermias F. Gebru Derek Keir Volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in Afar (Ethiopia) since 2-2.5 million years ago Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in Afar (Ethiopia) since 2-2.5 million years ago |
| title_full | Volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in Afar (Ethiopia) since 2-2.5 million years ago |
| title_fullStr | Volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in Afar (Ethiopia) since 2-2.5 million years ago |
| title_full_unstemmed | Volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in Afar (Ethiopia) since 2-2.5 million years ago |
| title_short | Volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in Afar (Ethiopia) since 2-2.5 million years ago |
| title_sort | volcanism records plate thinning driven rift localization in afar ethiopia since 2 2 5 million years ago |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02356-4 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gianmariatortelli volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT annagioncada volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT carolinapagli volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT dannbarfod volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT giacomocorti volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT federicosani volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT darrenfmark volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT rosscdymock volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT ermiasfgebru volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago AT derekkeir volcanismrecordsplatethinningdrivenriftlocalizationinafarethiopiasince225millionyearsago |