McNutt 9302192 The PIs will analyze geophysical data and perform modelling on Galapagos Hot Spot data to understand how hot spots interact with a spreading center. This is an extension of the current work on modelling bathymetry and gravity in the Galapagos. A 3-D modelling experiment will be performed to explore the influences of viscosity variations, pressure gradients and buoyance forces on plume entrainment and dispersion, temperature structure and melt production. The model will be used to calculate excess crustal thickness, depth anomalies, gravity anomalies and variations in the elastic plate thickness. The overall goal is to better understand mantle dynamics of ridge-lume interactions.
