The occurrence of
mafic dike swarms in
Archean and
Paleoproterozoic terrains is often cited as evidence for
mantle plume activity associated with abnormally high
mantle potential temperatures.
Dike swarms may extend over 400 km (250 mi) in width and length. The largest dike swarm known on Earth is the
Mackenzie dike swarm in the western half of the
Canadian Shield in
Canada, which is more than 500 km (310 mi) wide and 3,000 km (1,900 mi) long.[2]
About 25 giant dike swarms are known on
Earth. The primary geometry of most giant dike swarms is poorly known due to their old age and subsequent
tectonic activity.
^Puchkov, Victor; Ernst, Richard E.; Hamilton, Michael A.; Söderlund, Ulf; Sergeeva, Nina (2016). "A Devonian > 2000 km-long dolerite dyke swarm-belt and associated basalts along the Urals-Novozemelian fold-belt: part of an East-European (Baltica) LIP tracing the Tuzo Superswell". GFF. 138 (1): 6–16.
Bibcode:
2016GFF...138....6P.
doi:
10.1080/11035897.2015.1118406.
S2CID130648268.
^Larson, E. E.; Strangway, D. W. (1 March 1969). "Magnetization of the Spanish Peaks Dike Swarm, Colorado, and Shiprock Dike, New Mexico". Journal of Geophysical Research. 74 (6): 1505–1514.
Bibcode:
1969JGR....74.1505L.
doi:
10.1029/JB074i006p01505.
^Druecker, M.D.; Gay, S.P. Jr., Mafic dyke swarms associated with Mesozoic rifting in eastern Paraguay, South America[full citation needed]