Seismic Silence Speaks Loud: No extensive magmatic underplating found in recent seismic studies of the Hawaiian Ridge

Some prior active-source seismic studies beneath oceanic seamount chains indicate a sub-crustal layer of what is considered to be underplated magmatic material. The classic example is the Hawaiian Ridge, where a seismic study in the early 1980s first proposed the existence of such a layer. Since then, Hawaii has been considered one end-member in a range of possible scenarios, extending from underplating to no underplating, but with possible magmatic intrusion into the lower oceanic crust. Magmatic underplating affects mass flux and lithospheric loading calculations. All else being equal, underplating would be expected to lower the amplitude of the gravity anomaly over the crest of the edifice and provide a positive buoyancy force that makes the plate appear more rigid than it actually is. One hypothesis put forward to explain variations in the style of magmatic emplacement at intraplate volcanoes hinges on the age of the lithosphere at the time of volcano formation. In this model, shallow intrusion into the oceanic crust and overlying edifice is favored for seamounts growing on younger lithosphere, while magmatic underplating is favored for seamounts growing on older lithosphere such as Hawaii. However, recent seismic, gravity, and plate flexure studies conducted along the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain collectively provide clear evidence for shallow magmatic emplacement and contradict the notion of significant magmatic underplating for ages at the time of loading of ~57 Ma (Emperor Seamounts) and ~90 Ma (Hawaiian Ridge). Additionally, reprocessed legacy seismic data has not revealed evidence for underplating beneath the Hawaiian Ridge. In this presentation, results from these recent studies will be shown, compared, and the evidence for a simple mantle structure without underplating will be presented along with seismic synthetic tests that explore the degree of underplating that may be 'hidden' in the data.