Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Data Processing Methods for 3D Seismic Imaging of Subsurface Volcanoes: Applications to the Tarim Flood Basalt
Published on: August 7, 2017
Continuous mantle melt supply beneath an overlapping spreading center on the East Pacific Rise
R A Dunn1, D R Toomey, R S Detrick
1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1272, USA. Robert_Allen_Dunn@brown.edu
Abstract:
Tomographic images of upper mantle velocity structure beneath an overlapping spreading center (OSC) on the East Pacific Rise indicate that this ridge axis discontinuity is underlain by a continuous region of low P-wave velocities. The anomalous structure can be explained by an approximately 16-kilometer-wide region of high temperatures and melt fractions of a few percent by volume. Our results show that OSCs are not necessarily associated with a discontinuity in melt supply and that both OSC limbs are supplied with melt from a mantle source located beneath the OSC. We conclude that tectonic segmentation of the ridge by OSCs is not the direct result of magmatic segmentation at mantle depths.
Related Concept Videos
Gas Exchange and Transport
Distribution and Dispersion
Magnetostatic Boundary Conditions
Distributed Loads
For example, consider a bookshelf filled with books stacked vertically adjacent to each other. The weight of the books is evenly distributed over the length of the shelf. As a result, the pressure at different locations on the surface of the...
Elastic Curve from the Load Distribution
For all beams, the analysis of the beam's reaction to distributed loads begins by understanding the relationship between a beam's load and the resulting shear forces and bending moments. Initially, this...
Energy Line and Hydraulic Gradient Line

