{
  "id": 15269185,
  "title": "Scientists unearth remarkable volcanic origins of Lord Howe Island",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/scientists-unearth-remarkable-volcanic-origins-of-lord-howe-island",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-17T20:06:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-18/lord-howe-island-and-the-volcanic-chains-of-australia/107204522"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have uncovered the origins of Lord Howe Island, a remote and unique island off the coast of Australia. The island, a World Heritage-listed site, is an eroded remnant of an extinct shield volcano, formed from lava flows that are nearly 7 million years old. It is located about 600 kilometers from the Australian mainland and is part of a chain of mostly submerged extinct volcanoes known as the Lord Howe seamount chain, which stretches for about 1,500 kilometers along Australia's east coast.\n\nThe formation of the Lord Howe and Tasmantid seamount chains, which run parallel to each other, has long puzzled scientists. A recent research paper published in the journal Gondwana Research suggests that the two chains formed from the same deep Earth hotspot. The mantle plume, a deep Earth hotspot responsible for the upwelling of super-heated rock and the formation of volcanoes, did not always rise in a straight line, but could bend and even split in two. This explains how the Lord Howe and Tasmantid chains, despite being relatively close together, have persisted for millions of years in the middle of a tectonic plate.\n\nThe research team developed a 3D numerical modelling tool to understand the splitting of the volcanic plume. Their model shows that as the plume rose from the Earth's molten interior, it encountered a slab of old seafloor that had sunk about 500 kilometers into the Earth's mantle at a subduction zone. The plume could not go through the slab, so it split into two branches, which then reached the surface and formed the two chains of volcanoes. This process is explained as a detective story, with the researchers piecing together the geological history of the island and the surrounding seamounts.",
  "summary": "Lord Howe Island is part of two chains of mostly submerged extinct volcanoes, running side-by-side down Australia's east coast. New research reveals more about how they formed, millions of years ago.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}