The geologists led by the University of Maryland and the University of Hawaii finally connected the points between one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the history of the earth and its origin in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
In an article published in the magazine Nature, The team revealed that The same underwater point created a chain of submarine volcanoes in the southern region of the Pacific and the huge Ontong-Java plateau, the largest volcanic platform on Earth.
“Until now, we have had an extremely disconnected image of the Pacific and its volcanoes“said the corresponding author of the study, Val FinlaysonAssistant research scientist in the UMD Department of Geology.
But for the first time, we managed to establish a clear connection between the most recent volcanic systems in the south and the oldest in the west of the Pacific. It is a discovery that gives us a more complete story of how the Pacific Ocean basin has evolved over millions of years until it becomes what it is today.
A volcanic event of 120 million years ago
For years, scientists wondered if the hot spot of Louisville, in the south of the Pacific Ocean (an area where hot and chemically different from the interior of the earth rises to the surface to create volcanoes) The submarine mountain chain formed so much which bears his name as the Ontong-Java plateau, 120 million years old, an submerged submarine platform located in what is now north of the Solomon Islands.
The previous theories and models on how the Pacific Sea Fund moved attempted to explain the connection between the two main geological characteristics, but failed to provide a definitive response.
Much of the physical evidence of a connection between Louisville and Ontong-Java has disappeared because part of the trajectory of Louisville’s hot spot was subduced, or pushed, under the tectonic plates of the Pacific region, ”Finlayson explained. We had to show deeply submerged volcanoes from another long -term hot spot path to find evidence of tens of millions of years ago to suggest that our models for the Pacific plaque needed a review.
Finlayson and his team achieved their first advance to Discover a series of underwater mountains near Samoamuch older than expected for volcanoes in the area. when analyzing the age and chemical composition of samples of old rocks taken in the area, the researchers concluded that these mountains were part of a much older segment of the volcanic trajectory of Louisville, which Finlayson compared with the traces of a volcano. As the earth’s cortex (tectonic plates) moves on hot points, these are formed volcanic trajectories.
“We can track these ‘footprints’ through time and space“Finlayson explained.”The footprints are progressively older as one moves away from an active hot point, similar to how the traces themselves faded in the sand when walking. But it can still be determined that these traces belong to the same source. Thanks to this new evidence, we were able to review the current models of the Pacific plates movement and better understand how the seabed has moved over millions of years“.
The Finlayson team plans to apply its improved models to better understand other ancient volcanic formations scattered throughout the oceanic background and on its surface. Given that Many insular nations of the Pacific currently settle on volcanic platforms and volcanic chains Submarines, Finlayson expects his work to deepen the understanding of the foundations of these countries. He also believes that the discovery of his team will help scientists better understand volcanism and geological evolution, not only in the Pacific region, but throughout the world.
“We have resolved a mystery, but there are still many more to solve. This finding offers us a more precise history of the Pacific and its volcanic activity, and helps us to better understand the dynamics and style of volcanism that occurs there“said Finlayson.”All the new we learn about the tumultuous past of the Earth helps us better understand the dynamic planet in which we live today“.
Reference
Valerie Finlayson, Pacific hotspots reveal a Louisville–Ontong Java Nui tectonic link, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41038586-025-08889-0.
This entry was published in news on May 2025 by Francisco Martín León
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