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Deep rifts as sources for alkaline intraplate magmatism in eastern North America

Abstract

Intracontinental magmatism in eastern North America does not exhibit the regular time progression associated with mantle plume activity. Instead, the magmatism is sporadic but locally persistent, suggesting that the magmas rise from a mantle source that drifts with the continental plate. A spatial association with ancient rifts further suggests that this source is 'fertile9, melt-generating material emplaced in the mantle lithosphere during the early stages of rifting.

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Phipps, S. Deep rifts as sources for alkaline intraplate magmatism in eastern North America. Nature 334, 27–31 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/334027a0

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