plate tectonics

The boundaries of plate modelling

Jean-Christophe Wrobel-Daveau, Graeme Nicoll and edited by Lucía Pérez-Díaz March 31, 2021

The 1977 World Ocean Floor Map created by Bruce Heezen and Marie Tharp

This weeks post is all about the importance of boundaries. Plate boundaries that is. Jean-Christophe Wrobel-Daveau and Graeme Nicoll tell us why we should care where plate boundaries are and how they evolve through time, when attempting to reconstruct past plate motions. Global plate tectonic models are an incredible way to synthesise geological knowledge to gain both direct and indirect insight i ...[Read More]

Modelling the deformation in the Indian plate and the India-Eurasia collision zone

Srishti Singh and edited by Jyotirmoy Paul March 24, 2021

Mighty Himalayas at the India-Eurasia collision zone, Kashmir. photo @GeophyJo

A complete fluid dynamical approach of modeling the Earth’s deformation can not provide a complete picture due to presence of rigid lithospheric plates. In this week’s news and views, Srishti Singh, scientist at National Geophysical Research Institute, India, explains how coupled models of lithosphere dynamics and mantle convection are developed. The ongoing collision of the Indian plate wi ...[Read More]

Rift linkage and rotating microplates

Derek Neuharth and edited by Anne Glerum January 20, 2021

Image Credit: modified by Anne Glerum after NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens.

2020 left your head spinning? This week Derek Neuharth from GFZ Potsdam introduces us to the spinning microplates that can be found in extensional plate boundaries such as the East African Rift System and the East Pacific Rise. Divergent plate boundaries Microplates are enigmatic features that form in the boundaries between tectonic plates. Generally, plate boundary dynamics are divided into three ...[Read More]

The Sassy Scientist – Diamonds Are Forever

The Sassy Scientist October 2, 2020

Jade feels uncomfortable as she glides across the multi-faceted piazza of Earth sciences. Sometimes parents should think a tad longer about prospective names for their progeny, especially in case they push them into the world of minerals, rocks and equations-of-state. With all the facts on jade in her back-pocket, Jade wonders whether she should brush up and expand her knowledge: What is your favo ...[Read More]