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Anoceanic orsubmarine plateau is a large, relatively flat elevation that is higher than the surrounding relief with one or more relatively steep sides.[1]
There are 184 oceanic plateaus in the world, covering an area of 18,486,600 km2 (7,137,700 sq mi) or about 5.11% of the oceans.[2] The South Pacific region around Australia and New Zealand contains the greatest number of oceanic plateaus (see map).
Oceanic plateaus produced bylarge igneous provinces are often associated withhotspots,mantle plumes, andvolcanic islands — such as Iceland, Hawaii, Cape Verde, and Kerguelen. The three largest plateaus, theCaribbean,Ontong Java, andMid-Pacific Mountains, are located onthermal swells. Other oceanic plateaus, however, are made of rifted continental crust, for example theFalkland Plateau,Lord Howe Rise, and parts ofKerguelen,Seychelles, and Arctic ridges.[3]Plateaus formed by large igneous provinces were formed by the equivalent of continentalflood basalts such as theDeccan Traps in India and theSnake River Plain in the United States.
In contrast to continental flood basalts, most igneous oceanic plateaus erupt through young and thin (6–7 km (3.7–4.3 mi))mafic orultra-mafic crust and are therefore uncontaminated by felsic crust and representative for their mantle sources.These plateaus often rise 2–3 km (1.2–1.9 mi) above the surrounding ocean floor and are more buoyant than oceanic crust. They therefore tend to withstand subduction, more-so when thick and when reaching subduction zones shortly after their formations. As a consequence, they tend to "dock" to continental margins and be preserved asaccretedterranes. Such terranes are often better preserved than the exposed parts of continental flood basalts and are therefore a better record of large-scale volcanic eruptions throughout Earth's history. This "docking" also means that oceanic plateaus are important contributors to the growth of continental crust. Their formations often had a dramatic impact on global climate, such as the most recent plateaus formed, the three, large, Cretaceous oceanic plateaus in the Pacific and Indian Ocean: Ontong Java, Kerguelen, and Caribbean.[4]
Geologists believe that igneous oceanic plateaus may well represent a stage in the development ofcontinental crust as they are generally less dense thanoceanic crust while still being denser than normal continental crust.
Density differences in crustal material largely arise from different ratios of various elements, especiallysilicon. Continental crust has the highest amount of silicon (such rock is calledfelsic). Oceanic crust has a smaller amount of silicon (mafic rock). Igneous oceanic plateaus have a ratio intermediate between continental and oceanic crust, although they are more mafic than felsic.
However, when aplate carrying oceanic crustsubducts under a plate carrying an igneous oceanic plateau, the volcanism which erupts on the plateau as the oceanic crust heats up on its descent into the mantle erupts material which is more felsic than the material which makes up the plateau. This represents a step toward creating crust which is increasingly continental in character, being less dense and more buoyant. If an igneous oceanic plateau is subducted underneath another one, or under existing continental crust, the eruptions produced thereby produce material that is yet more felsic, and so on through geologic time.
| Ocean | Area (km2) | Plateau area (%) | Number of plateaus | Average plateau area (km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Ocean | 1,193,740 | 9.19 | 12 | 99,480 |
| Indian Ocean | 5,036,870 | 7.06 | 37 | 136,130 |
| North Atlantic Ocean | 1,628,360 | 3.64 | 36 | 45,230 |
| North Pacific Ocean | 1,856,790 | 2.26 | 33 | 56,270 |
| South Atlantic Ocean | 1,220,230 | 3.02 | 9 | 135,580 |
| South Pacific Ocean | 7,054,800 | 8.09 | 50 | 141,100 |
| Southern Ocean | 495,830 | 2.44 | 12 | 41,320 |
| World Ocean | 18,486,610 | 5.11 | 184 | 100,470 |
