GD
Geodynamics

plate tectonics

Rift linkage and rotating microplates

and January 20, 2021
Rift linkage and rotating microplates
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

October 2, 2020
The Sassy Scientist – Diamonds Are Forever

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]

The Sassy Scientist – The Story of Plate Tectonics

September 18, 2020
The Sassy Scientist – The Story of Plate Tectonics

As a new coping mechanism with reality, Sascha has been digging into some science history and asked: How did scientists discover plate tectonics? Dear Sascha, I do enjoy a good walk on the memory lane of scientific discoveries. You might know by now that great insight is gained when we look at data with fresh eyes. Hence, lots of advances in certain narrow scientific fields come from outsiders. In ...[Read More]

The Sassy Scientist – The Cricetinae Model

September 4, 2020
The Sassy Scientist – The Cricetinae Model

Despite workshops and seminars and conference sessions and Zoom colloquia, of which Geraldine has attended many, one big question remains in geophysics: What drives plate tectonics? Dear Geraldine, Slab pull? Ridge push? Mantle drag? Continental keels? Super plumes? Mantle wind? Expanding Earth? God? Nope, there is only one explanation that truly fits the data and passes the common sense test: The ...[Read More]