BharatNotes
Mantle Plume
/ˈmæntəl pluːm/A column of abnormally hot rock rising from the deep mantle (possibly from the core-mantle boundary at ~2,900 km depth) that creates a stationary "hotspot" of volcanic activity at the Earth's surface — as tectonic plates drift over the plume, a chain of volcanoes is produced, with the youngest volcano directly above the current plume position.
Context & Background
The Hawaiian island chain (70+ million years of volcanic activity), the Yellowstone supervolcano (three eruptions in 2 million years), and the Reunion hotspot (Deccan Traps → Chagos-Laccadive Ridge → Reunion Island) are classic examples of mantle plume volcanism.
UPSC Exam Relevance
GS1 (Physical Geography). Prelims: definition; examples (Hawaii, Yellowstone, Reunion); difference between hotspot and plate-boundary volcanism. Mains: how mantle plumes explain intra-plate volcanism and the formation of oceanic island chains.
