Ny modell visar att mantelvind driver supervulkanen Yellowstone

28 juni 2026

Rapporterad av AI

Forskare har utvecklat en tredimensionell modell som visar att en omfattande östgående mantelvind förser Yellowstone med magma, snarare än en djup mantelplym från jordens kärna.

Ett team från Institutet för geologi och geofysik vid Kinas vetenskapsakademi har byggt modellen av västra Nordamerika. Den kopplar vinden till rester av den subducerade Farallonplattan och visar hur flödet skapar en sydvästsluttande kanal genom litosfären.

Kanalen gör att hett astenosfäriskt material kan stiga och bilda det omfattande magmasystemet under calderan. Yellowstone har producerat två superutbrott under de senaste 2,1 miljoner åren.

Studien, som publicerats i Science, stämmer överens med befintliga geofysiska och geokemiska data. Den erbjuder ett enhetligt ramverk för hur stora magmatiska system utvecklas och består under supervulkaner världen över.

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