Greenland on the move

  • Released Monday, September 23, 2019
  • ID: 13128

A geologic hotspot shaped one of Earth's coldest places.

A geologic hotspot shaped one of Earth's coldest places.

A heat map of Greenland’s reveals the path of the North American tectonic plate over geologic time.

Greenland passed over the mantle plume, or hotspot, that currently sits beneath Iceland.

Greenland passed over the mantle plume, or hotspot, that currently sits beneath Iceland.

The mantle plume and Iceland currently sit on the tectonic plate boundary between the North American and Eurasian plates.

The mantle plume and Iceland currently sit on the tectonic plate boundary between the North American and Eurasian plates.

A mantle plume, or a hotspot, is an upwelling of magma from deep in the mantle, the layer of hot, malleable rock beneath the crust.

A mantle plume, or a hotspot, is an upwelling of magma from deep in the mantle, the layer of hot, malleable rock beneath the crust.

For More Information

See NASA.gov



Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio



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