Tracing the Neovolcanic zone along the sediment-covered regions of the Red Sea Rift

The Red Sea Rift is an ultra-slow spreading rift filled with Miocene salt and younger sediments. While volcanic features can be observed in exposed areas in the southern Red Sea Rift, evidence of volcanism in the sediment-blanketed regions in the central and northern Red Sea Rift has been lacking, leaving open whether the mid-ocean rift axis continues beneath them. Here, we present new multichannel seismic and high-resolution bathymetric data of these blanketed regions. Our data reveals multiple instances where oceanic crust can be traced beneath the evaporite cover, forming volcanic edifices protruding through the sediment cover. We identify abundant circular depressions in the sediment cover as volcanic craters, which formed by deep-sea explosive volcanism or caldera collapses. The common occurrence of volcanic features in the sediment-covered regions supports the continuous formation of oceanic crust along large parts of the Red Sea Rift.