A channelled plume under Africa: Large areas of east Africa are and have been highly active geologically, but the underlying processes are debated. New modelling work may shed light on those processes and also illustrates the growing maturity of such studies
Article Abstract:
Opinion as to how many plumes there may be under Africa has been divided, with some proposals of up to around 40 volcanic hotspots. Ebinger and Sleep have proposed that much of the volcanism may be explained by a single, large plume. They suggested that the region has been affected by the Afar plume covering an area extending down to the east African rift, offshore and south to the Comoros Islands and west to the Darfur uplift, and possibly even further. The scattered nature of associated volcanism could be explained by variations in the thickness of the lithosphere throughout the region.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Vertebrate with protrusible eyes
Article Abstract:
The eyes of the east African caecilian Scolecomorphus kirkii are present on the lateral sides of the tentacle base and can be protruded beyond the roofing bones of the skull into the environment. The eyes are located in a tentacular groove covered by skin lacking pigment. They move along a translucent tract during tentacle protrusion and retraction. This exposes them to ambient sunlight irrespective of tentacle position. Caecilians are limbless fossorial amphibians found in the humid tropics.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Cenozoic magmatism throughout east Africa resulting from impact of a single plume
Article Abstract:
Northern and central African geology is characterized by wide plateaux, volcanism and narrow swells. Largest magma volumes occur on the greater than 1000-km-wide Ethiopian and east African plateaux. A model of a single large plume beneath the Ethiopian plateau is presented, taking into account lateral flow and ponding of plume material. It may explain distributions and timings of magmatism and uplift throughout east Africa.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: Immunological function of a defined T-cell population tolerized to low-affinity self antigens
- Abstracts: Recent changes in tropical freezing heights and the role of sea surface temperature. The riddle of the sediments
- Abstracts: A marriage of bone and nacre: Clinical experiments aimed at reducing bone loss in jaws raise a raft of interdisciplinary issues
- Abstracts: The information superflyway. Emergence of simple-cell receptive field properties by learning a sparse code for natural images
- Abstracts: Emergence of simple-cell receptive field properties by learning a sparse code for natural images. State-dependent receptive-field restructuring in the visual cortex