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plume
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Io Io, in Jupiter's shadow, photographed by the Galileo spacecraft on May 6, 1997. The relative brightnesses of Io's features are enhanced with added colour, red being the most intense, yellow-green moderate, and blue the faintest. Small red and yellow-green spots are probably lava flows or lakes, while the bright area extending from Io's left limb corresponds to the plume from the volcano Prometheus. The diffuse glow on the right limb also has plumelike characteristics. Volcanic plumes on IoSeen from a distance of about 600,000 km (373,000 miles), a number of volcanoes, lava flows, and sulfur dioxide frost plains are visible on Io's surface. This image shows the eruption of two volcanic plumes: Pillan Patera, on the satellite's limb (shown in detail in the upper inset), and Prometheus, near the terminator (shown in detail in the lower inset). Prometheus has been observed since 1979; Pillan Patera (named for the Araucanian god of thunder, fire, and volcanoes) erupted in mid-1997. The images were taken by the Galileo spacecraft on June 28, 1997. Figure 27: The development of aulacogens, plumes, and plume traces during the separation of two continents. Here, the process is shown in two stages. Figure 7: Hot-spot volcanoes may be formed by deep mantle plumes generated by slow convection currents.
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plume

geology
Also known as: mantle plume
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Io
Io Volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io captured in the act of erupting by the Galileo orbiter on June 28, 1997. One plume, visible on the limb of Io at the far left, is about 140 km (90 miles) high. Another, at the centre of the moon near the terminator, is revealed by its shadow, which extends to the right. The latter plume, from the volcano Prometheus, was also recorded by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979.

In geology, a plume refers to a mantle plume - a large column of exceptionally hot rock that ascends from deep within the Earth's mantle, possibly from the core-mantle boundary. These plumes are thought to be stationary relative to the lithospheric plates that move over them.1

When a lithospheric plate moves over a mantle plume, it can lead to volcanic activity. A volcano forms directly above the plume. As the plate shifts, the volcano is carried away from its magma source and becomes extinct. This process can create chains of islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, where active volcanoes are found at one end, and progressively older, extinct volcanoes form the rest of the chain. Hotspot volcanism can also occur within continents, as seen in Yellowstone National Park.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
5 Britannica Sources
  1. plate tectonics - Hotspots
  2. plate tectonics - Seismic tomography
  3. mountain - Landforms associated with hot spot volcanism
  4. Earth exploration - Geothermal methods
  5. Earth exploration - Geochemical methods

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