← All questionsGS1 · 2018 · Geography ·Mantle Plumes and Plate Tectonics
QUESTION 6
GS1
10 marks

Define mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics.

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7 min
150 words
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What the examiner wants

Define a mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics.

Define + ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Definition: rising column of hot rock from deep mantle; hotspots at surface≈30 words
  2. 2Role: volcanism in plate interiors (Hawaii), island chains showing plate movement, continental rifting (Deccan Traps, Réunion hotspot split India from Seychelles), flood basalts≈30 words
  3. 3Debate on plumes vs plate forces≈30 words
  4. 4Indian example: Deccan Traps≈30 words

Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.

Answer plan

DefinitionRole with examplesIndian linkConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Confusing plume with subduction
  • No hotspot example like the Hawaii chain or Réunion plume and Deccan Traps

Draw this

  • Cross-section of plume and island chain

Value addition

  • ExampleThe Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain records Pacific Plate movement over a fixed hotspot.USGS
  • ExampleThe Deccan Traps (about 66 million years ago) are linked to the Réunion hotspot.GSI / geology literature

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