A band o scientists led by Professor Fin Stuart fae the University o Glesga haes unkivert fresh clues on the forces that shape East Africa. Their wark leuked at gases fae the Menengai geothermal field in central Kenya. The study appears in Geophysical Research Letters an lends wecht tae the idea that a vast mass o deep Yird material lies far aneath the rift region.

The scientists, includin experts fae the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre an the Kenya Geothermal Development Company, yaised heich-precision mass spectrometry. Analysis o noble gas neon in the samples pynts tae an origin deep in the mantle – at the boondary wi the core. In a strickin wey, the gas mix mirrors that fund in volcanic rocks aw alang a streek fae the Reed Sea up tae Malawi. This match hints that a similar het rock mass drives the volcanic activity alang the lang rift glens that rin throu Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda an Malawi.

Scientists hae lang wunnert aboot whither the rift valleys stem fae near-surface wark or if forces fae the deep Yird tak pairt in the process. Professor Stuart stated, “We hae lang bin interested in hoo the deep Yird rises tae surface, hoo muckle is transported, an juist whit role it plays on formin the lairge-scale topography o the Yird’s surface. Oor research suggests that a giant het blob o rock fae the core-mantle boondary is present aneath East Africa, it is drivin the plates apairt an proppin up the Africa continent sae it’s hunners o metres heicher than normal.” Biyin Chen o the University o Edinburgh an SUERC explained, “These gases fae oor geothermal walls hae provide valuable new insicht intae the Yird’s deep interior, helpin us better unnerstaund no ainly the geological forces shapin East Africa but the fundamental processes that drive the formation o oor planet’s surface ower millions o years.”

The finnins serve as the first clear geochemical pruif o a single deep mantle soorce feedin activity unner soothren Africa. This deep rock mass, labelled a ‘superplume’, micht mirror similar features unner pairts o the Pacific near Hawaii. The wark deepens oor unnerstaundin o hoo michty forces fae ablo can shape lairge pairts o oor land an spark volcanoes.