Plume tectonics is a geoscientific theory that finds its roots in the mantle doming concept which was especially popular during the 1930s and initially did not accept major plate movements and

continental drift Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth's continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have "drifted" across the ocean bed. The idea of continental drift has been subsumed into the science of pl ...

ing. It has survived from the 1970s until today in various forms and presentations. It has slowly evolved into a concept that recognises and accepts large-scale plate motions such as envisaged by

plate tectonics Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large ...

, but placing them in a framework where large

mantle plume A mantle plume is a proposed mechanism of convection within the Earth's mantle, hypothesized to explain anomalous volcanism. Because the plume head partially melts on reaching shallow depths, a plume is often invoked as the cause of volcanic hot ...

s are the major driving force of the system.Van Bemmelen, R.W. (1976); Plate Tectonics and the Undation Model: a comparison. Tectonophysics, 32, 145–182. The initial followers of the concept during the first half of the 20th century are scientists like Beloussov and van Bemmelen, and recently the concept has gained interest especially in Japan, through new compiled work on

palaeomagnetism Paleomagnetism (or palaeomagnetismsee ), is the study of magnetic fields recorded in rocks, sediment, or archeological materials. Geophysicists who specialize in paleomagnetism are called ''paleomagnetists.'' Certain magnetic minerals in rock ...

, and is still advocated by the group of scientists elaboration upon Earth expansion.Wezel, F.-C. (1988, Ed.); The origin and evolution of arcs. Tectonophysics, Vol. 146, No.1-4, Special Issue. It is nowadays generally not accepted as the main theory to explain the driving forces of tectonic plate movements, although numerous modulations on the concept have been proposed. The theory focuses on the movements of mantle plumes under

tectonic plate Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large te ...

s, viewing them as the major driving force of movements of (parts of) the Earth's crust. In its more modern form, conceived in the 1970s, it tries to reconcile in one single geodynamic model the horizontalistic concept of plate tectonics, and the verticalistic concepts of mantle plumes, by the gravitational movement of plates away from major domes of the Earth's crust. The existence of various

supercontinent In geology, a supercontinent is the assembly of most or all of Earth's continental blocks or cratons to form a single large landmass. However, some geologists use a different definition, "a grouping of formerly dispersed continents", which leav ...

s in Earth history and their break-up has been associated recently with major upwellings of the mantle. It is classified together with mantle convection as one of the mechanism that are used to explain the movements of tectonic plates. It also shows affinity with the concept of hot spots which is used in modern-day plate tectonics to generate a framework of specific mantle upwelling points that are relatively stable throughout time and are used to calibrate the plate movements using their location together with paleomagnetic data. Another affinity is the concept of surge tectonics which envisage flows through the mantle as major driving forces of Plate Tectonics.

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See also