Comment on “Revealing the Cape Verde Hotspot Track Across the Great Lakes” by Tao et al.

Abstract Tao et al. (2025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl110777 ) propose that the Cape Verde hotspot influenced lithospheric structures and the geological evolution of the Great Lakes region, ultimately shaping the modern‐day Great Lakes. However, their interpretation conflicts with other observations. Pre‐Mesozoic tectonic features including the Palaeozoic Michigan Basin and major structural zones predate any proposed Mesozoic hotspot and likely controlled basin formation. Tao et al. (2025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl110777 )'s interpretation of a seismic anisotropy anomaly as the remnants of a hotspot track is non‐unique, and inconsistent with a linear hotspot track. Different Atlantic hotspot reconstructions predict widespread plume tracks across North America, making the approach unreliable for constraining regional geodynamics. Prior studies that conclude glacial erosion exploiting pre‐existing tectonic structures offer a more robust and testable explanation for Great Lakes formation. Plain Language Summary The Great Lakes were formed by glaciers eroding older, pre‐existing geological structures, not plumes of hot rock rising from deep in the Earth as claimed by Tao et al. (2025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl110777 ). The evidence for the latter theory is deficient as reconstructed plume tracks are variable, ambiguous and change depending on the models of past tectonic plate movements used. Additionally, the seismic signal used to support the plume model can be explained more simply and consistently by other geological processes such as compositional variabilities. Key Points Pre‐existing structures, not a Mesozoic hotspot, governed formation of the Great Lakes The seismic anisotropy anomaly proposed in Tao et al. (2025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl110777 ) is speculatively defined and cannot be uniquely interpreted Reconstructed hotspot tracks span most of North America, making it impossible to link observations to a single hotspot