{{Short description|Oceanic plateau in the North Atlantic Ocean}} thumb|right|Bathymetry image of the Azores Plateau with some of the Azores islands marked in yellow thumb|right|Azores Plateau satellite image with some azorean cities named.
The '''Azores Plateau''' or '''Azores Platform''' is an oceanic plateau encompassing the Azores archipelago and the Azores triple junction in the North Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="QK">{{cite journal|last1=Adam|first1=C.|last2=Madureira|first2=P.|last3=Miranda|first3=J. M.|last4=Lourenco|first4=N.|last5=Yoshida|first5=M.|last6=Fitzenz|first6=D.|title=Mantle dynamics and characteristics of the Azores plateau|year=2013|journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters|volume=362|publisher=Elsevier|page=258|issn=0012-821X|doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2012.11.014|bibcode=2013E&PSL.362..258A |hdl=10174/10019|hdl-access=free}}</ref> It was formed by the Azores hotspot 20 million years ago and is still associated with active volcanism.<ref name="QK"/><ref>{{cite journal | title=Azores hotspot signature in the upper mantle | author=Silveria, G. | author2=Stutzmann, E. | author3=Davaille, A. |author3-link=Anne Davaille| author4=Montagner, J. | author5=Mendes-Victor, L. | author6=Sebai, A. | name-list-style=amp | journal=Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research | year=2006 | volume=156 | issue=1–2 | pages=23–34 | doi=10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.03.022| bibcode=2006JVGR..156...23S }}</ref>
The plateau consists of a roughly triangular-shaped large igneous province that lies less than {{nowrap|{{Convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}}} below sea level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/13_2369.pdf|title=A Comparative Study on Strong Ground Motion in Two Volcanic Environments: Azores and Iceland|last1=Oliveira|first1=Carlos S.|last2=Sigbjornsson|first2=Ragnar|last3=Ólafsson|first3=Simon|publisher=Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur|year=2004|accessdate=2018-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hildenbrand|first1=Anthony|last2=Weis|first2=Dominique|last3=Madureira|first3=Pedro|last4=Margues|first4=Fernando Ornelas|title=Recent plate re-organization at the Azores Triple Junction: Evidence from combined geochemical and geochronological data on Faial, S. Jorge and Terceira volcanic islands|year=2014|journal=Lithos|volume=210-211|publisher=Elsevier|page=27|issn=0024-4937|doi=10.1016/j.lithos.2014.09.009|bibcode=2014Litho.210...27H |hdl=10174/13522|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
A lack of age progression amongst the younger submarine and subaerial volcanism combined with excess melting as evident from the shallow water depth and the presence of islands in the Azores suggest it may fit the waning mantle plume.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Beier |display-authors=etal |title=The submarine Azores Plateau: Evidence for a waning mantle plume? |journal=Marine Geology |date=September 2022 |volume=451 |issue=106858}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{large igneous provinces}}
{{coord missing|Portugal}}
Category:Plateaus of the Atlantic Ocean Category:Mid-Atlantic Ridge Category:Hotspot volcanism Category:Large igneous provinces
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