Deep mantle plume drives unusual deformation in East African Rift

Computer models indicate that the African Superplume, a vast upwelling of hot mantle rock, is causing deformation parallel to the East African Rift. This deep-seated force works alongside shallower geological stresses as the continent slowly splits apart. The findings help explain seismic patterns observed in the region.

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The research team's 3D thermomechanical simulations indicate that northward mantle flow from the superplume produces the rift-parallel motion detected through GPS measurements collected over more than a decade. The plume originates deep beneath southwest Africa and rises northeastward, becoming progressively shallower as it approaches the rift zone, where its influence on deformation becomes measurable.

The findings inform a longstanding scientific debate about what drives continental rifting. Researchers have weighed lithospheric buoyancy forces, which act near the surface and depend