Thursday, March 13, 2008

Mega plumes

Mega plumes are a wondrous thing that no one really knows much about. Mega plumes can be found underwater and near the end of tectonic plates.

The first mega plume detected was discovered in 1986 on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, which runs almost parallel to the coast of the U.S. about 300 miles west of Oregon. Mega plumes can be more than 12 miles long. Mega plumes can also sometimes hundreds of miles in a month before it dissapates. Only a handful has been observed. Some scientists don't know how mega plumes are made while others claim that mega plumes are formed from sources that occur for at least several days. Smaller plumes are made when cold water percolates through fissures in the hot rock that is consistently being created at mid-ocean ridges. A computer model shows that a mega plume would have to require a crack in the crust a foot wide and a half a mile to a mile long, emitting 570 degrees water for a few days.

Mega plumes are very interesting things that are very hard to find scince there is such a little amount of them. Mega plumes is a great thing to research on or to find out more information about because it is not like it is a huge project or writing assignment that you would have to do but it would take up a bit of your time. You never know you might find yourself doing something that has to do with mega plumes in the future.


IB5

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

it is interesting that a mega plum can sink a ship.

Anonymous said...

great info. I think this was very interesting!! good job!




CR3

Anonymous said...

I never knew what a mega plume was. They sound interesting and you did a good job describing them
MV3

Anonymous said...

Wow, Great job i am glad i now know what a magaplume is.It was very interesting.

Anonymous said...

I like your description but I need to know how they end.