Terceira Rift

[3] It developed from a transform fault and now operates as a hyper-slow spreading center, as recognized by the relative movement between the African and Eurasian plates.

[6] The Azores Plateau began to form around 10 Ma, and is characterized by isotopic and elemental variations indicative of large heterogeneities in the mantle beneath it.

[7] Additionally, the presence of thick crust and complex volcano-tectonic fabric implies the plateau developed through the migration of the Terceira Rift towards the NE, causing a constant position over a fixed hotspot.

[3] As previously mentioned, the Azores hotspot is thought to be the primary source for the excess magmatism along the Terceira Rift, resulting in the anomalously high relief of along-strike topography, and is considered to be sampling a relatively undegassed, primitive reservoir.

[9] However, there is also a possibility the increased magmatic activity on the Terceira Rift is a partial result of the involvement with the rift–rift–rift triple junction between the Eurasian, African, and North American plates.