Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yongfei Zheng, Yixiang Chen, Renxu Chen, Liqun Dai
Summary: This article discusses the changes in the dynamic regime and geothermal gradient of subduction zones at convergent plate boundaries in different stages, as well as the types of metamorphism and magmatism associated with them. These studies are of great significance for understanding the tectonic evolution of the Earth and the formation of rocks.
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Robert J. Stern
Summary: Eight lines of evidence suggest that the Orosirian Period experienced plate tectonics, including the presence of ophiolites, low temperature and pressure metamorphism, passive margins, tall mountains, paleomagnetic constraints, ore deposits, abundant S-type granites, and seismic images of paleo-subduction zones. This plate tectonic episode occurred much earlier than the current plate tectonics in the Neoproterozoic era, indicating Earth's tectonic style can be reconstructed back to the Early Paleoproterozoic. The evidence for multiple tectonic episodes suggests that Earth switched between single lid and plate tectonics multiple times during the past 2.4 billion years.
GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sophie Pan, John Naliboff, Rebecca Bell, Chris Jackson
Summary: The article investigates the relationship between fault network patterns and key rift parameters in continental extension using 3D thermo-mechanical models. The study reveals key characteristics of fault patterns and highlights the importance of fault weakening and spatial distribution of initial plastic strain blocks in controlling fault characteristics.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Franz Neubauer, Yongjiang Liu, Yunpeng Dong, Ruihong Chang, Johann Genser, Sihua Yuan
Summary: This study summarizes the evolutionary history of the Austroalpine and Southalpine basement units in the Southern Alps and emphasizes their crucial role in the Alpine-Mediterranean mountain belts. It involves various geological processes like plate collision, ophiolite formation, magmatic activity, and rifting.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jose Tamay, Jesus Galindo-Zaldivar, John Soto, Antonio J. Gil
Summary: GNSS observations are crucial in revealing crustal deformations, with the Ecuadorian Andes experiencing active tectonic-related deformation, including regional displacements formed by the interaction between the South American and Nazca plates. Integration of GPS and seismic data highlights that the highest rates of deformation and tectonic hazards in Ecuador are linked to the subduction zone in the coastal area, the Pallatanga transfer fault, and the Eastern Andes Sub-Andean faults.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
K. E. Sundell, F. A. Macdonald
Summary: The assembly and dispersion of continental crust play a crucial role in paleogeography and geochemical cycles. Zircon initial hafnium (epsilon Hf-T) can be used to track the reworking of Earth's crust. The study reveals significant geographic and temporal bias in the global epsilon Hf-T record, which is associated with sampling and regional tectonic events.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
L. N. J. Wedmore, J. Biggs, M. Floyd, A. Fagereng, H. Mdala, P. Chindandali, J. N. Williams, F. Mphepo
Summary: The study reveals that the San microplate, located south of the southwestern branch of the East African Rift, is statistically distinct from the Nubia tectonic plate with an extension rate of 0.4-0.7 mm/yr. Additionally, new GNSS measurements show that the extension rate across the southern Malawi Rift is 2.2 +/- 0.3 mm/yr, mostly concentrated over 890 km, despite the narrow surface expression of faulting. These geodetic measurements provide insight into the strain accommodation in broad zones within southern Africa's thick continental lithosphere.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Andrew S. Merdith, Simon E. Williams, Alan S. Collins, Michael G. Tetley, Jacob A. Mulder, Morgan L. Blades, Alexander Young, Sheree E. Armistead, John Cannon, Sabin Zahirovic, R. Dietmar Mueller
Summary: Recent progress in plate tectonic reconstructions has expanded beyond continental drift to reconstruct the full evolving configuration of tectonic plates and plate boundaries. A continuous full-plate model spanning 1 billion years to present-day has been developed, incorporating a revised model for the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian period and connecting it with models of the Phanerozoic. The model is geologically constrained and based on preserved data from past plate boundaries, with the goal of providing a detailed and self-consistent tectonic reconstruction for the last billion years of Earth's history.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jean-Christophe Wrobel-Daveau, Graeme Nicoll, Michael G. Tetley, Benjamin Greselle, Lucia Perez-Diaz, Andrew Davies, Bruce M. Eglington
Summary: The formulation of plate tectonic theory and its application in simulating the motion of lithospheric units has significantly advanced geosciences, supporting industry funded research, geological understanding, and resource exploration, with a growing importance in the current energy transition.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Miquel Camafort, Cesar R. Ranero, Eulalia Gracia
Summary: The Nubia and Eurasian plates have a poorly defined boundary along the Northern Tunisian continental margin. The Tunisian margin is deformed by slow convergence, resulting in a diffuse deformation zone with less seismic activity compared to neighboring regions. This study analyzes the active tectonics in this submarine margin using high-resolution bathymetric maps and echosounder images, revealing a predominance of transpressive to compressive faulting. The North-eastern Domain of the study area has the highest number of active faults.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kamil Maciuk, Michal Apollo, Anita Kukulska-Koziel, Paulina Lewinska
Summary: This study predicts the changes in area for countries located on the border of major tectonic plates using the NUVEL 1A model, finding that global land surface will decrease by 12 km^2 in the next 50 years. While these changes are not as dramatic as changes in sea levels, some smaller countries may experience significant annual land losses exceeding thousands of square meters.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jack N. Williams, Luke N. J. Wedmore, Christopher A. Scholz, Folarin Kolawole, Lachlan J. M. Wright, Donna J. Shillington, Ake Fagereng, Juliet Biggs, Hassan Mdala, Zuze Dulanya, Felix Mphepo, Patrick R. N. Chindandali, Maximilian J. Werner
Summary: The Malawi Active Fault Database (MAFD) is an open-access geospatial database containing 113 fault traces in Malawi and neighboring Tanzania and Mozambique. It is used to understand the regional seismic hazard and tectonic evolution. The MAFD incorporates a multidisciplinary dataset including digital elevation models, geological mapping, seismic reflection surveys, and magnetic and gravity data. The study finds that the distribution of fault lengths in Malawi follows a power law.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qing-Ren Meng, Zhong-He Zhou, Ri-Xiang Zhu, Yi-Gang Xu, Zheng-Tang Guo
Summary: Cretaceous basins in NE Asia were formed from different types of continental rifting in disparate regions, influenced by differential subduction and slab tearing of the western paleo-Pacific plate. The different types of rift basins, including passive, active, and wide rift basins, developed in different regions due to crustal stretching, asthenospheric upwelling, and lithospheric-scale tear fault. The Late Cretaceous period in NE Asia witnessed mild deformation and weak magmatism, possibly caused by kinematic variation of the paleo-Pacific plate.
NATIONAL SCIENCE REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Arushi Saxena, Juliane Dannberg, Rene Gassmoeller, Menno Fraters, Timo Heister, Richard Styron
Summary: Mantle convection models provide insight into the forces driving plate motions on Earth. However, there is contradiction in existing studies on the balance of these forces and the impact of plate boundary geometry on surface deformation remains unknown. Our research shows that the plate boundary geometry of the Global Earthquake Model achieves the best fit to observed GPS data, highlighting the importance of discrete plate boundaries within oceans and distributed faults within continents.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
A. Pedrera, J. Garcia-Senz, C. Peropadre, A. Robador, B. Lopez-Mir, J. Diaz-Alvarado, L. R. Rodriguez-Fernandez
Summary: The Bay of Biscay-Pyrenean rift system is a world-class example of an inverted hyperextended rift. The study investigates the geological features and tectonic evolution of this rift system, shedding light on the processes of rift formation and the mechanisms driving crustal shortening. The sequential analysis of crustal-scale transects provides insights into the development of rifts and the dynamics of crustal deformation.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
