Growth constraints of the Indian Ocean seamounts
Abstract
Distribution and morphology of volcanic seamounts from an area of 84572 km super(2) in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) using multibeam bathymetric system are presented here. The study area is boundEd. by two NNE-SSW oriented structural lineaments and is infested with about 800 seamounts of various height ranging from 50 m to 1250 m. Statistical analysis suggests that summit height, flatness and volume primarily control shape of seamounts. The remarkable similarity in distribution, flow line parallel orientation, morphology, and lava chemistry between these ancient seamounts in CIOB, and young seamount chains off East Pacific Rise (EPR) in the Pacific Ocean indicate that seamount chains are the fundamental product of fast spreading ridges. Structural and morphological difference at the base and summit in most of these seamounts probably indicates non-uniform growth in response to variable tectonic settings prevailing in the past
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