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

In Tao et al. (2025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110777), we presented a high-resolution seismic anisotropy model, proposing that the Cape Verde (CV) hotspot caused enhanced radial anisotropy in the North American lithosphere. We also suggested that this interaction could have created zones of low-lying topography that set the stage for later formation of the Great Lakes by glacial scouring. Peace et al. (2025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115634) agreed that glacial scouring created the Great Lakes, but they disputed the contribution of the CV hotspot. They also questioned aspects of our interpretation of the anisotropy and the uniqueness of hotspot tracks across North America. Here we address these points and further explain the consistency of the Tao et al. (2025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110777) anisotropy model with the track of the CV hotspot across eastern North America.