What is the Anahim hotspot?

The Anahim hotspot is a hypothesized volcanic region located in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Unlike most volcanoes that form at tectonic plate boundaries, it sits hundreds of kilometres away from any boundary and powers the west-to-east trending Anahim Volcanic Belt. First proposed in the 1970s, scientists debate whether it is fueled by a deep-seated mantle plume or an upper-mantle source.

What we know

• The Anahim hotspot is a hypothesized hotspot situated in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest plate boundary. [1, 2]
• It has been proposed as the candidate source for the Anahim Volcanic Belt, a 300-kilometre-long chain of eroded volcanoes and magmatic features extending from Bella Bella to near Quesnel. [2, 4]
• Volcanism linked to the hotspot began as early as 14.5 million years ago, with the latest eruption occurring within the last 8,000 years. [2, 4]
• Tomographic imaging has identified a low-velocity anomaly measuring roughly 400 kilometres deep, indicating an upwelling plume, and volcanic activity has produced rocks with a bimodal composition. [2, 4] · medium confidence

Still open

• It remains uncertain whether the low-velocity anomaly is truly 400 kilometres deep or if it originates even deeper inside the Earth.
• While early theories suggested a deep-seated mantle plume from the core-mantle boundary based on John Tuzo Wilson's work, a 2001 study proposed it might be supplied from the upper mantle instead.

Where to go next

• what followedWhat is the Anahim Volcanic Belt?
• the bigger pictureHow do geological hotspots form?
• a case in pointWhat is Anahim Peak?
• whoWho was John Tuzo Wilson?
• compared withHow do the Hawaiian and Anahim hotspots compare?
• an unexpected connectionCan volcanic hotspots cause modern earthquakes?Although the Anahim Volcanic Belt is largely inactive, magma movement from the hotspot system has triggered modern earthquakes as recently as 2007 and 2008.

Sources

• [1]Anahim hotspot (Wikidata Q2097549) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Anahim hotspot · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Hotspot (geology) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Anahim Volcanic Belt · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Anahim Peak · CC BY-SA 4.0