New paper argues history, not mantle plume, powers Yellowstone

A study published in Science (April 2026) by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences challenges the long-held view that Yellowstone's supervolcano is powered by a deep mantle plume, instead finding that magma generation and migration in the Yellowstone region are primarily governed by lithospheric tectonics, with negligible contribution from the mantle plume. The key mechanism involves the ancient Farallon tectonic slab: a remnant piece of this plate is sinking beneath the eastern United States, pulling hot material from the asthenosphere toward it and producing a fast, eastward drift of hot rock beneath western North America. This "mantle wind" creates strong tension inside the lithosphere beneath Yellowstone, tearing it open and forming a tilted, chimney-like channel through which magma rises, with the researchers noting the findings may also apply to other major volcanic systems worldwide.

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Source: industry