Réunion hotspot

Coordinates: 21°06′S 55°30′E / 21.1°S 55.5°E / -21.1; 55.5
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Réunion hotspot
Piton de la Fournaise, an active shield volcano formed by the Réunion hotspot
CountryFrance
RegionRéunion
Coordinates21°06′S 55°30′E / 21.1°S 55.5°E / -21.1; 55.5

The Réunion hotspot is a

Chagos-Laccadive Ridge and the southern part of the Mascarene Plateau are volcanic traces of the Réunion hotspot.[1]

The hotspot is believed to have been active for over 65 million years. A huge eruption of this hotspot 65 million years ago is thought to have laid down the

Chicxulub impactor and the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction of the dinosaurs, and there is considerable speculation that the three events were related.[2][3] As the Indian plate drifted north, the hotspot continued to punch through the plate, creating a string of volcanic islands and undersea plateaux. The Laccadive Islands, the Maldives, and the Chagos Archipelago are atolls resting on former volcanoes created 60–45 million years ago that subsequently submerged below sea level. About 45 million years ago the Central Indian Ridge crossed over the hotspot, and the hotspot passed under the African Plate
.

The hotspot appears to have been relatively quiet 45–10 million years ago, when activity resumed, creating the

Rodrigues. Mauritius and Rodrigues Ridge were created 8–10 million years ago, and Rodrigues and Réunion Islands in the last two million years. Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the southeastern corner of Réunion, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.[4]

References

  1. doi:10.1016/S0264-3707(02)00068-6
    .
  2. PMID 26430116
    .
  3. PMID 30792301
    .
  4. ^ Klemetti, Erik (2014). "New Eruption at Piton de la Fournaise on Reunion Island". Wired. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014.

External links

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