Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Earth science

Plate motion and mantle plumes

Nature volume 475, pages 40–41 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

A model based on geophysical data from the Indian Ocean suggests that a mantle-plume head may once have coupled the motions of the African and Indian tectonic plates, and determined their respective speeds. See Article p.47

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The Indian and African plates 65 and 40 million years ago.

References

  1. Cande, S. C. & Stegman, D. R. Nature 475, 47–52 (2011).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Coffin, M. F. & Eldholm, O. Rev. Geophys. 32, 1–36, doi:10.1029/93RG02508 (1994).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Torsvik, T. H., Burke, K., Steinberger, B., Webb, S. J. & Ashwal, L. D. Nature 466, 352–355 (2010).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Chenet, A.-L., Quidelleur, X., Fluteau, F., Courtillot, V. & Bajpai, S. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 263, 1–15 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kumar, P. et al. Nature 449, 894–897 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Goes, S., Capitanio, F. A. & Morra, G. Nature 451, 981–984 (2008).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Schellart, W. P., Freeman, J., Stegman, D. R., Moresi, L. & May, D. Nature 446, 308–311 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Stadler, G. et al. Science 329, 1033–1038 (2010).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Armitage, J. J., Collier, J. S., Minshull, T. A. & Henstock, T. J. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 12, Q0AB07, doi:10.1029/2010gc003316 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. van Hinsbergen, D. J. J., Steinberger, B., Doubrovine, P. V. & Gassmöller, R. J. Geophys. Res. 116, B06101, doi:10.1029/2010JB008051 (2011).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. http://www.gplates.org

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. R. Dietmar Müller is in the School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.,

    R. Dietmar Müller

Authors
  1. R. Dietmar Müller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Dietmar Müller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Müller, R. Plate motion and mantle plumes. Nature 475, 40–41 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/475040a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/475040a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing