Publications

Basinal seamounts and seamount chains of the Central Indian Ocean: probable near-axis origin from a fast-spreading ridge

Hydrosweep mapping of crust in the Central Indian Ocean Basin reveals abundant volcanoes ocurring both as isolated seamounts and linear seamount chains parallel to flow lines. Their shapes, sizes and overall style of occurrence are indistinguishable from near-axis seamounts in the Pacific. Evidence from seamount morphology, distributions and petrography of dredged samples suggests that they were generated near the fast-spreading Southeast Indian Ridge at 50_60 Ma. If so, this style of near-axis seamount generation may be a result of fast-spreading rate rather than a peculiarity of the present Pacific spreading ridges. In fact, the results of several recent studies, taken together, suggest that the style of axis/near-axis seamount volcanism varies systematically as a function of spreading rate.

Authors

Mukhopadhyay R , Batiza R .

Year

1

DOI

10.1007/BF01224747

ISBN-13

0

Keywords

seamounts,

Link

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01224747