The Yellowstone Hotspot: Plume or Not?
Matthew J. Fouch
© 2012 Geological Society of America
[link to geology.gsapubs.org]
...In conclusion, the massive and widespread tectonomagmatic system expressed at the surface by the Columbia River flood basalts, the High Lava Plains, and the Yellowstone /Snake River Plain system requires a holistic framework of mantle dynamics not well explained by a simple deep mantle plume. Efforts on several fronts can help us develop an improved conceptual framework for the region...