Mc. Kleinrock et Ba. Brooks, CONSTRUCTION AND DESTRUCTION OF VOLCANIC KNOBS AT THE COCOS-NAZCA SPREADING SYSTEM NEAR 95-DEGREES-W, Geophysical research letters, 21(21), 1994, pp. 2307-2310
Characterization of volcanic knobs observed in Sea Beam bathymetry nea
r the 95-degrees-W Galapagos propagator system on the Cocos-Nazca spre
ading axis provides insight into volcanic and tectonic processes at pr
opagators and mid-ocean ridges. Despite evidence suggesting a higher m
agma supply rate at the propagator axis, crust accreted there contains
fewer knobs than crust created at the failing or doomed spreading axe
s. Fissure-fed flows rather than seamount construction are more import
ant along the propagator. The process of transferring lithosphere from
one plate to another as this ridge offset migrates through a region d
estroys about half of the preexisting knobs. Data tentatively suggest
that on-axis volcanic cones increase in size and contribution to crust
al construction but decrease in abundance with decreasing spreading ra
te, possibly reflecting the magma plumbing systems in differing therma
l regimes.