Hilton, David R.Halldórsson, Sæmundur A.Barry, Peter H.Fischer, TobiasDe Moor, J. M.Umaña, Carlos J. R.Mangasini, FrankScarsi, P.2016-07-112016-07-112011-10Hilton, D.R., Halldórsson, S.A., Barry, P.H., Fischer, T.P., de Moor, J.M., Ramirez, C.J., Mangasini, F. and Scarsi, P., 2011. Helium isotopes at Rungwe Volcanic Province, Tanzania, and the origin of East African Plateaux. Geophysical Research Letters, 38(21).http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/3045Full text can be accessed at https://scripps.ucsd.edu/sites/scripps.ucsd.edu/files/communications-content/field_attachment/2014/Hilton11.pdfWe report helium isotope ratios (3He/4He) of lavas and tephra of the Rungwe Volcanic Province (RVP) in southern Tanzania. Values as high as 15RA (RA = air 3He/4He) far exceed typical upper mantle values, and are the first observation of plume-like ratios south of the Turkana Depression which separates the topographic highs of the Ethiopia and Kenya domes. The African Superplume - a tilted low-velocity seismic anomaly extending to the core-mantle boundary beneath southern Africa - is the likely source of these high 3He/4He ratios. High 3He/4He ratios at RVP together with similarly-high values along the Main Ethiopian Rift and in Afar provide compelling evidence that the African Superplume is a feature that extends through the 670-km seismic discontinuity and provides dynamic support - either as a single plume or via multiple upwellings - for the two main topographic features of the East Africa Rift System as well as heat and mass to drive continuing rift-related magmatism.enHelium isotopesJournal Article, Peer Reviewed10.1029/2011GL049589