Geologically Current Rates of Hotspot Motion

Abstract Hotspots, sites of mid‐plate volcanism or of excessive volcanism along a plate boundary, overlie plumes of hot rock that rise in the solid state from Earth's mantle. Previously estimated rates of lateral hotspot motion relative to a hotspot reference frame since Late Cretaceous time range from ∼3 to ∼80 mm/yr. To place bounds on the mean rate of hotspot motion, here we combine Monte Carlo inversions with objective uncertainties of the trends of 56 volcanic tracks formed from 53 hotspots over the past ∼5–15 Ma. We find that fitting all 56 trends indicates a mean hotspot motion rate of 2–4 mm/yr (95% Cl). While the rates of motion of hotspots are comparable to the rates of motion of ultra‐slow‐moving plates (e.g., Antarctica, Eurasia) relative to hotspots, they are much lower than typical rates of plate motion (∼20–∼100 mm/yr). Hotspots thus provide a useful reference frame.