Mantle Plume and Transient Boundary Carved the Atlantic's King's Trough
New mapping and rock analyses show the 500‑km King’s Trough off Portugal formed 37–24 million years ago where a temporary plate boundary intersected a mantle plume, causing intense fracturing and basin formation but stopping short of a full seafloor‑spreading ridge; the plume likely connects to the Azores system, offering a living example of how such underwater canyons develop under tectonic and thermal forces.
