A localized buoyant upwelling in the mantle. Its origin and relation to surface volcanism require independent constraints.
The mantle thermal anomaly associated with Yellowstone volcanism and the age-progressive eastern Snake River Plain.
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A mantle plume is an upwelling of hot mantle material from deep within the Earth's mantle, typically originating from a boundary layer between the mantle and core or from the lower mantle. These plumes are thought to be caused by thermal convection within the Earth, where hot, less dense material rises while cooler, denser material sinks.