On the guyots' origin

Abstract

Two hypotheses are discussed on the guyots' origin: the first one developed by Hess and considering the guyots to be submarine volcanoes eroded by waves and submerged subsequently; the second hypothesis was suggested by Nayudu who thought that the guyots' flat tops were primary structural forms of submarine volcanoes preconditioned by their petrochemical composition and formation under the pressure of the oceanic water. Data on some guyots' magnetization are given which corroborate the second hypothesis. The authors conclude that the preference cannot be given one hypothesis over another on the basis of the known facts on the guyots' morphology and geology, some proposals are made concerning the future studies trend.