Stagnant slabs in the transition zone linked to widespread volcanism in Eastern Australia and Zealandia

Oct 18, 2019·
Dr. Ben Mather
Dr. Ben Mather
· 0 min read
Abstract
“Eastern Australia and Zealandia host widespread volcanic activity including both age-progressive hotspot chains and enigmatic lava field eruptions with no clear time dependence. We investigate how stagnant slabs in the mantle transition zone may drive this volcanism, evaluating mechanisms such as edge-driven convection and asthenospheric shear-driven upwellings in the context of the last 100 million years of tectonic evolution since Australia separated from Antarctica.”
Date
Oct 18, 2019 9:00 AM — 10:00 AM
Location

Australia

events
Intraplate Volcanism Subduction Slab Flux Plate Tectonics
Dr. Ben Mather
Authors
Dr. Ben Mather
ARC Industry Research Fellow

I am an ARC Industry Research Fellow in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at The University of Melbourne. I am an expert in fusing Earth evolution models with data to understand how groundwater moves critical minerals through the landscape. Related research interests include the cycling of volatiles within the Earth, probabilistic thermal models of the lithosphere to unravel past tectonic and climatic events, and understanding the how enigmatic volcanoes form.

I am a vocal advocate for the integral role of geoscience in responding to challenges we face in transitioning to the carbon-neutral economy. As an expert in my field, I have been interviewed in national and international print media, TV, and radio on a wide variety of subjects including earthquakes, volcanoes, groundwater, and critical minerals.