The Darfur Volcanic Province from ISS . Darfur Dome or Darfur Volcanic Province is an area of about 100x400 km in Western Sudan. As well as its best-known and central feature, Deriba Crater , it encompasses the surrounding Marra Mountains (Jebel Marra ) and Tagabo Hills , both formed around 16–10 Ma , and the Meidob Hills , formed around 6.8 Ma.[ 1]
There are currently two competing theories concerning Darfur Dome’s formation. The conventional view is that magmatism is the product of a rising mantle plume , with active volcanism being triggered by stress resolution along the Central African Fault Zone .[ 1] [ 2] Evidence for a plume origin includes domal uplift, gravity anomalies , and low seismic velocity zones in the mantle ,[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] though there is disagreement over whether these indicate a discreet, narrow plume under the Darfur region[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] or a broad superplume with conduits feeding several African hotspots.[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
Recently, some scientists have argued for a tectonic origin in which lithospheric extension, asthenospheric shear , and small-scale convection have enabled passive melting of shallow source material.[ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10] This interpretation is supported by high seismic shear wave velocities which indicate shallow, cold downwellings[ 7] as well as normal heat-flow and low helium isotope ratios.[ 8] [ 9]
Deriba Caldera
Central Africa showing
CASZ .
^ a b c d Franz, G.; Pudlo, D.; Urlacher, G; Haussmann, U; Broven, A.; Wemmer, K. (1994). "The Darfur Dome, western Sudan: the product of a subcontinental mantle plume" . Geologische Rundschau . 83 (3): 614–623. Bibcode :1994GeoRu..83..614F . doi :10.1007/BF01083232 . S2CID 198144219 .
^ a b c Franz, G.; Steiner, G.; Volker, F.; Pudlo, D.; Hammerschmidt, K. (1999). "Plume related alkaline magmatism in central Africa—the Meidob Hills (W Sudan)" . Chemical Geology . 157 (1–2): 27–47. Bibcode :1999ChGeo.157...27F . doi :10.1016/S0009-2541(98)00195-8 .
^ a b Burke, K. (1996). "The African plate" . South African Journal of Geology . 99 (4): 339–410.
^ a b Ebinger, C.J.; Sleep, N.H. (1998). "Cenozoic magmatism throughout east Africa resulting from impact of a single plume" . Nature . 395 (6704): 788–791. Bibcode :1998Natur.395..788E . doi :10.1038/27417 . S2CID 4379613 .
^ a b Zhao, D (2007). "Seismic images under 60 hotspots: Search for mantle plumes" . Gondwana Research . 12 (4): 335–355. Bibcode :2007GondR..12..335Z . doi :10.1016/j.gr.2007.03.001 .
^ a b Steinberger, B. (2000). "Plumes in a convecting mantle: Models and observations for individual hotspots" . Journal of Geophysical Research . 105 (B5): 11127–11152. Bibcode :2000JGR...10511127S . doi :10.1029/1999JB900398 .
^ a b King, S.D.; Ritsema, J. (2000). "African hot spot volcanism: Small-scale convection in the upper mantle beneath cratons" . Science . 290 (5494): 1137–1140. Bibcode :2000Sci...290.1137K . doi :10.1126/science.290.5494.1137 . PMID 11073447 .
^ a b Sebai, A.; Stutzmann, E.; Montagner, J-P.; Sicilia, D.; Beucler, E. (2006). "Anisotropic structure of the African upper mantle from Rayleigh and Love wave tomography" . Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors . 155 (1–2): 48–62. Bibcode :2006PEPI..155...48S . doi :10.1016/j.pepi.2005.09.009 .
^ a b Montagner, J-P.; Marty, B.; Stutzmann, E.; Sicilia, D.; Cara, M.; Pik, R.; Lévêque, J-J.; Roult, G.; Beucler, E.; Debayle, E. (2007). "Mantle upwellings and convective instabilities revealed by seismic tomography and helium isotope geochemistry beneath eastern Africa" . Geophysical Research Letters . 34 (21). Bibcode :2007GeoRL..3421303M . doi :10.1029/2007GL031098 .
^ Sicilia, D.; Montagner, J-P.; Cara, M.; Stutzmann, E.; Debayle, E.; Lépinea, J-C.; Lévêque, J-J.; Beucler, E.; Sebai, A.; Roult, G.; Ayele, A.; Sholan, J.M. (2008). "Upper mantle structure of shear-waves velocities and stratification of anisotropy in the Afar Hotspot region" . Tectonophysics . 462 (1–4): 164–177. Bibcode :2008Tectp.462..164S . doi :10.1016/j.tecto.2008.02.016 .
13°5′0″N 24°20′0″E / 13.08333°N 24.33333°E / 13.08333; 24.33333