Ancient plate stresses, not a plume, power Yellowstone
A new Science paper argues Yellowstone’s volcanism isn’t driven by a fixed mantle plume but by stresses from the vanished Farallon plate under North America. The geophysical model describes a translithospheric magma plumbing system with two branches feeding the Yellowstone caldera and the Snake River Plain; the crust’s geometry and mantle flow create conduits for molten material, explaining two different styles of volcanism at a single hotspot. While the approach links Yellowstone to historical plate movements, it remains a present‑day snapshot and leaves questions about history and why Yellowstone is unique still open.
