Search results for "Plate tectonics"

Successes and failures in geodynamics

2001

Abstract The evolution of Earth models is reviewed and the open questions and problems are highlighted. Generally, evolution of science was not linear, but proceeded in “steps” of paradigms; where old ones remained within useful limits. “Geodynamic hypotheses”, while embedded into the general concepts of space and time, were often mutually exclusive and competing until the 1900s. Wegener's concept of continental drift was the first successful globally unifying view, but it was discarded by most Earth scientists. The “real” change of paradigms did not come before mid-century through geophysical observations in paleomagnetism, seismology, bathymetry, seafloor geology and dating, leading to th…

Direct Inversion of S ‐ P Differential Arrival Times for Ratio in SE Asia

2020

The Permocarboniferous Basin and Range Province of Europe. An Application op Plate Tectonics

1976

Distribution and development of European late Hercynian intermontane troughs and associated volcanicity are related to an upper mantle diapir which formed above two subduction zones during the Hercynian cycle of orogenesis. Lateral spreading of the diapir caused regional extension of the previously folded crust and enabled tholeiitic magmas from the upper mantle and rhyolitic magmas from the lower crust to reach the surface.

Isotope geochemistry of Pantelleria volcanic fluids, Sicily Channel rift: a mantle volatile end-member for volcanism in southern Europe

2000

Chemical and isotopic ratio (He, C, H and O) analysis of hydrothermal manifestations on Pantelleria island, the southernmost active volcano in Italy, provides us with the first data upon mantle degassing through the Sicily Channel rift zone, south of the African–European collision plate boundary. We find that Pantelleria fluids contain a CO2–He-rich gas component of mantle magmatic derivation which, at shallow depth, variably interacts with a main thermal (∼100°C) aquifer of mixed marine–meteoric water. The measured 3He/4He ratios and δ13C of both the free gases (4.5–7.3 Ra and −5.8 to −4.2‰, respectively) and dissolved helium and carbon in waters (1.0–6.3 Ra and −7.1 to −0.9‰), together wi…

The Leiza palaeo-fault: Role and importance in the Upper Cretaceous sedimentation and palaeogeography of the Basque Pyrenees (Spain)

1999

Abstract New analysis of the Upper Cretaceous deposits of the Central Depression, a syncline within the Basque Pyrenees, shows that this structure was a deep marine basin analogous to the regional flysch troughs. It was bounded by active faults, including the Leiza palaeo-fault, which sustained erosion of the partly subaerially exposed margins. The Leiza palaeo-fault and its western counterpart, the Kalamua palaeo-fault, are thought to constitute the former plate boundary between Iberia and Europe, and a westward continuation of the North Pyrenean Palaeo-Fault.

Contrasting stress fields on correlating margins of the South Atlantic

2015

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:25:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-01-01 The passiveness of passive continental margins across the globe is currently under debate since several studies have shown that these margins may experience a variety of stress states and undergo significant vertical movement post-breakup. Of special interest is the South Atlantic, because the bounding continents have very different recent geological histories, with Africa experiencing continental rifting whereas South America is influenced by subduction on the Pacific side. It is not clear to what extent the Atlantic continental margins are subject to the same stresses and vertical …

Deep structural setting of the North American-Caribbean plate boundary in eastern Guatemala

2009

Se presenta un modelo bidimensional de gravedad para determinar la estructura en profundidad del sistema de fallas lateral-izquierda de Motagua-Polochic, que son parte del límite de las placas América del Norte y del Caribe. Estos elementos tectónicos, sismicamente activos, atraviesan oeste-este la región de Guatemala y se sobreponen a una línea de sutura donde afloran cuerpos ophiolíticos. En las principales zonas de desplazamiento de las fallas se han desarrollado cuencas de pull-apart y regiones de restricción (push-up). El análisis estructural de algunas de estas fallas, situadas a lo largo del valle Izabal y del valle Motagua, en combinación con los datos obtenidos del satélite, ha per…

U-Pb dating of middle Eocene-middle Pleistocene multiple tectonic pulses in the Alpine foreland

2021

Foreland fold-and-thrust belts record long-lived tectonic-sedimentary activity, from passive margin sedimentation, flexuring, and further involvement into wedge accretion ahead of an advancing orogen. Therefore, dating fault activity is fundamental for plate movement reconstruction, resource exploration, or earthquake hazard assessment. Here, we report U-Pb ages of syntectonic calcite mineralizations from four thrusts and three tear faults sampled, at the regional scale, across the Jura fold-and-thrust belt in the northwestern Alpine foreland (eastern France). Four regional tectonic phases are recognized in the middle Eocene-middle Pleistocene interval: (1) pre-orogenic faulting at 44.7&thi…

Strong intracontinental lithospheric deformation in South China: Implications from seismic observations and geodynamic modeling

2014

Abstract Classical plate tectonics theory predicts concentrated deformation at plate boundaries and weak deformation within plates. Yet, the existence of intracontinental orogens shows that highly deformed regions can occur within continental plates, which is geodynamically incompletely understood. Shear wave splitting measurements in South China show belt-parallel (i.e. NE–SW) fast directions beneath the Wulingshan-Xuefengshan Belts, while no dominant fast direction is found in the cratonic Sichuan Basin. Tomographic studies in the mantle in the same area show that the thickness of lithosphere beneath the intracontinental orogen is larger than that beneath the cratonic Sichuan Basin. In or…

Slab-triggered wet upwellings produce large volumes of melt: Insights into the destruction of the North China Craton

2018

Abstract Cratons have remained stable for billions of years, despite of ongoing mantle convection and plate tectonics. The North China Craton (NCC), however, is abnormal, as it has experienced a destruction event during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic which was accompanied by extensive magmatism. Several lines of evidence suggest that the (Paleo-)Pacific plate played an important role in this event. Yet, the geodynamic link between subduction and craton destruction remains poorly understood, and it is unclear why there is no systematic spatial and temporal variation of magmatism related to subduction. Here, we perform 2-D petrological-thermomechanical simulations to investigate the influence of s…