Sophisticated analysis of tiny bubbles of ancient gas trapped in volcanic rocks, combined with new geophysical modeling, has cast new light on long-held assumptions about the deep Earth.
Ernst, Richard E. and Buchan, Kenneth L. 2002. Maximum size and distribution in time and space of mantle plumes: evidence from large igneous provinces. Journal of ...
They interpreted it as a huge plume of magma that's slowly working its way up from the planet's interior, to perhaps one day power the Tharsis volcanoes again. However, this mantle plume is not ...