Abstract:Seismic tomographic images show that there are two large low shearwave velocity provinces (LLSVPs) beneath Africa and Pacific Ocean at the Earths coremantle boundary, named Tuzo and Jason, respectively. It implies the anomalies in temperature or composition of the deep mantle. Previous studies have found that the reconstructed eruption sites of large igneous provinces and current active hotspots are mostly located near the LLSVPs margins with a tolerance of ±10°. Based on spatial correlations the narrow margins of LLSVPs are regarded as the mantle plume generation zone and is widely used to explain the genesis of mantle plumes and hotspots. However, there are still many uncertainties in connecting the surface hotspots to a deep geophysical anomaly 2800 km beneath. Moreover, LLSVPs, as a globalscale anomalies, are huge in extent if projected on the Earths surface, and will inevitably be overlapping with a large number of hotspots. Whether the two components are genetically connected remains unknown. Here, we consider the random probability of a hotspot falling into the LLSVPs ranges, and reanalyze the spatial correlation between LLSVPs margins and global hotpots to determine the confidence level of the potential correlation. The statistical results show that the spatial correlation between global hotspots and LLSVPs margins is not significant as proposed. There are great differences between Tuzo and Jason in their relationships to the hotspots. The Tuzo is considered well correlated with hotspots, while the Jason dont. Thus, the distribution and genesis of hotspots may not be fully controlled by LLSVPs. The result challenges the generally accepted strong correlation between LLSVPs and hotspots. We should not take it for granted that hot spots are related to LLSVPs, but should be more careful in study of the genesis of hot spots and mantle plumes, with more attention to the geological facts and observations.