How was the Kerguelen Plateau formed?

The Kerguelen Plateau is a massive submerged oceanic plateau and large igneous province located in the southern Indian Ocean on the Antarctic Plate. It was produced by the Kerguelen hotspot, starting with or following the breakup of Gondwana approximately 130 million years ago. A small fraction of this extensive plateau rises above sea level to form the Kerguelen Islands as well as Heard and McDonald Islands.

What we know

• The Kerguelen Plateau is an oceanic plateau and large igneous province located on the Antarctic Plate in the southern Indian Ocean. [2]
• The plateau was produced by the Kerguelen hotspot, beginning alongside or following the breakup of Gondwana about 130 million years ago. [2]
• Parts of the Kerguelen Plateau contain rifted continental crust alongside volcanic formations. [4] · medium confidence
• A small portion of the plateau breaks the sea surface, creating the Kerguelen Islands and the Heard and McDonald Islands. [2, 3]

Where to go next

• a case in pointWhat are the Kerguelen Islands like today?
• how it workedHow do oceanic plateaus form from mantle plumes?
• what caused itWhat is the breakup of Gondwana?
• whereWhere are Heard Island and McDonald Islands located?
• the bigger pictureWhat are large igneous provinces?
• an unexpected connectionHow do remote subantarctic islands connect to ancient supercontinents?Islands as isolated as Heard and McDonald sit atop a massive volcanic plateau whose birth was tied to the ancient fragmentation of Gondwana.

Sources

• [1]Kerguelen Plateau (Wikidata Q2308629) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Kerguelen Plateau · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Kerguelen Islands · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Oceanic plateau · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Heard Island and McDonald Islands · CC BY-SA 4.0