Thermal origin of mid-plate hot-spot swells

Summary. Additional evidence supports the idea that the shallow rises surrounding mid-plate, hot-spot volcanoes are caused by a broad-scale reheating of the lithosphere above hot-spots. Firstly, as required by the reheating concept, the rises appear to be supported by a density deficiency within the normal thickness of the lithosphere. The gravity anomalies over the Bermuda, Cape Verde, Hawaii and Cook-Austral swells indicate that the compensation of these swells is only 40 to 100 km deep. The geoid anomaly over the Hawaiian swell is consistent with these depths. Secondly, as also required by the reheating concept; swells and the volcanoes formed on swells subside at the same rate as younger, hotter lithosphere which is at the same ocean depth. Almost all mid-plate swells rise to an ocean depth of 4250 m, the depth of normal 25 Myr-old lithosphere. The Hawaiian Swell, Emperor Guyots, Cook-Austral Swell and Bikini and Enewetok Atolls all subside as 25 Myr-old lithosphere subsides.