Paleolatitude of the Hawaiian Hot Spot Since 48 Ma: Evidence for a Mid‐Cenozoic True Polar Stillstand Followed by Late Cenozoic True Polar Wander Coincident With Northern Hemisphere Glaciation

Paleospin axis locations since 48 Ma inferred from the distribution of equatorial sediment accumulation rates on the Pacific plate, together with paleomagnetic poles from magnetic anomaly skewness, indicate that the Hawaiian hot spot was nearly fixed in latitude from 48 to 12 Ma, but ≈3° north of its current latitude. From 48 to 12 Ma in the Pacific hot spot reference frame, which we take to be equivalent to the global hot spot reference frame, the spin axis was located near 87°N, 164°E, recording a stillstand in true polar wander. Global hot spots shifted coherently relative to the spin axis since ≈12 Ma, consistent with an episode of true polar wander, which may continue today. The motion of the spin axis away from the Hawaiian hot spot and toward Greenland since ≈12 Ma coincided with, and may have contributed to, the onset of northern hemisphere glaciation. Plain Language Summary The Earth has shifted relative to its spin axis over the past 12 million years (Ma). This shift, which geoscientists call true polar wander, caused the Earth's mantle beneath the tropical Pacific to move southward while causing Greenland to move northward. The latter motion may have contributed to the onset of the current ice age, which began ≈3 Ma before present. These conclusions follow our analysis of the history of motion of the Pacific tectonic plate relative to the spin axis, which is preserved in sediments and rocks on the Pacific seafloor. We also infer the motion of the Pacific plate relative to the solid Earth from the plate's history of motion relative to hot spots, such as Hawaii. Hot spots are sites of voluminous volcanism, thought to lie over rising plumes of hot rock from deep in the Earth's mantle. As the Pacific plate moves over the Hawaiian plume, it creates a line of extinct volcanoes that record the motion of the plate relative to the plume. Combining this information, we find that Hawaii and other global hot spots were nearly fixed in latitude from 48 to 12 Ma before present, which marks a 36‐Ma‐long time interval preceding the shift. Key Points The Hawaiian hot spot was fixed relative to the spin axis 48‐12 Ma, but not in its present location, which contradicts some prior models The coherent shift of global hot spots since approximately 12 Ma is consistent with true polar wander that followed a mid‐Cenozoic true polar stillstand Northern Hemisphere ice sheets formed coevally with late Cenozoic true polar wander, which moved Greenland nearer the North Pole