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Intraplate Magmatism

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Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Definition

Intraplate magmatism constitutes igneous activity distal from the boundaries of the tectonic plates and is thus considered to be unrelated to the processes of seafloor spreading, subduction, and transform faulting.

Introduction

Intraplate magmatism is pervasive within both oceanic and continental crust. Expansive spatially and across geologic time, it is complex because of both its causative magmatic processes as well as its interplay with Earth’s mantle geodynamics and plate tectonic processes. The scale of intraplate magmatism ranges from large igneous provinces (LIPs) encompassing millions of cubic kilometers of igneous rock to small individual volcanoes. Similarly, compositions of intraplate igneous rock span the spectrum of extrusive compositions between highly mafic and highly silicic. However, intraplate volcanic rocks are dominantly basaltic and have compositions distinctly different from those found at “normal” mid-ocean ridges and in arc-trench systems. Herein we...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia

    Millard F. Coffin & Joanne M. Whittaker

Authors
  1. Millard F. Coffin
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  2. Joanne M. Whittaker
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Correspondence to Millard F. Coffin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland

    Jan Harff

  2. University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Martin Meschede

  3. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany

    Sven Petersen

  4. Institute of Earth Science, KÖPPEN-Laboratory, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

    JÖrn Thiede

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Coffin, M.F., Whittaker, J.M. (2016). Intraplate Magmatism. In: Harff, J., Meschede, M., Petersen, S., Thiede, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6238-1_19

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