Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

0 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

What drives tectonic plates?

ABSTRACT: Does Earth's mantle drive plates, or do plates drive mantle flow? This long-standing question may be ill posed, however, as both the lithosphere and mantle belong to a single self-organizing system. Alternatively, this question is better recast as follows: Does the dynamic balance between plates and mantle change over long-term tectonic reorganizations, and at what spatial wavelengths are those processes operating? A hurdle in answering this question is in designing dynamic models of mantle convection with realistic tectonic behavior evolving over supercontinent cycles. By devising these models, we find that slabs pull plates at rapid rates and tear continents apart, with keels of continents only slowing down their drift when they are not attached to a subducting plate. Our models show that the tectonic tessellation varies at a higher degree than mantle flow, which partly unlocks the conceptualization of plate tectonics and mantle convection as a unique, self-consistent system.

SUBMITTER: Coltice N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6821462 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

What drives tectonic plates?

Coltice Nicolas N Husson Laurent L Faccenna Claudio C Arnould Maëlis M

Science advances 20191030 10

Does Earth's mantle drive plates, or do plates drive mantle flow? This long-standing question may be ill posed, however, as both the lithosphere and mantle belong to a single self-organizing system. Alternatively, this question is better recast as follows: Does the dynamic balance between plates and mantle change over long-term tectonic reorganizations, and at what spatial wavelengths are those processes operating? A hurdle in answering this question is in designing dynamic models of mantle conv ...[more]

PMID: 31693727

Similar Datasets

The boundary between the Indian and Asian tectonic plates below Tibet.

Project description:The fate of the colliding Indian and Asian tectonic plates below the Tibetan high plateau may be visualized by, in addition to seismic tomography, mapping the deep seismic discontinuities, like the crust-mantle boundary (Moho), the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB), or the discontinuities at 410 and 660 km depth. We herein present observations of seismic discontinuities with the P and S receiver function techniques beneath central and western Tibet along two new profiles and discuss the results in connection with results from earlier profiles, which did observe the LAB. The LAB of the Indian and Asian plates is well-imaged by several profiles and suggests a changing mode of India-Asia collision in the east-west direction. From eastern Himalayan syntaxis to the western edge of the Tarim Basin, the Indian lithosphere is underthrusting Tibet at an increasingly shallower angle and reaching progressively further to the north. A particular lithospheric region was formed in northern and eastern Tibet as a crush zone between the two colliding plates, the existence of which is marked by high temperature, low mantle seismic wavespeed (correlating with late arriving signals from the 410 discontinuity), poor Sn propagation, east and southeast oriented global positioning system displacements, and strikingly larger seismic (SKS) anisotropy.

| S-EPMC2895109 | biostudies-literature

Whole-mantle convection with tectonic plates preserves long-term global patterns of upper mantle geochemistry.

Project description:The evolution of the planetary interior during plate tectonics is controlled by slow convection within the mantle. Global-scale geochemical differences across the upper mantle are known, but how they are preserved during convection has not been adequately explained. We demonstrate that the geographic patterns of chemical variations around the Earth's mantle endure as a direct result of whole-mantle convection within largely isolated cells defined by subducting plates. New 3D spherical numerical models embedded with the latest geological paleo-tectonic reconstructions and ground-truthed with new Hf-Nd isotope data, suggest that uppermost mantle at one location (e.g. under Indian Ocean) circulates down to the core-mantle boundary (CMB), but returns within ≥100 Myrs via large-scale convection to its approximate starting location. Modelled tracers pool at the CMB but do not disperse ubiquitously around it. Similarly, mantle beneath the Pacific does not spread to surrounding regions of the planet. The models fit global patterns of isotope data and may explain features such as the DUPAL anomaly and long-standing differences between Indian and Pacific Ocean crust. Indeed, the geochemical data suggests this mode of convection could have influenced the evolution of mantle composition since 550 Ma and potentially since the onset of plate tectonics.

| S-EPMC5431867 | biostudies-literature

Longer aftershocks duration in extensional tectonic settings.

Project description:Aftershocks number decay through time, depending on several parameters peculiar to each seismogenic regions, including mainshock magnitude, crustal rheology, and stress changes along the fault. However, the exact role of these parameters in controlling the duration of the aftershock sequence is still unknown. Here, using two methodologies, we show that the tectonic setting primarily controls the duration of aftershocks. On average and for a given mainshock magnitude (1) aftershock sequences are longer and (2) the number of earthquakes is greater in extensional tectonic settings than in contractional ones. We interpret this difference as related to the different type of energy dissipated during earthquakes. In detail, (1) a joint effect of gravitational forces and pure elastic stress release governs extensional earthquakes, whereas (2) pure elastic stress release controls contractional earthquakes. Accordingly, normal faults operate in favour of gravity, preserving inertia for a longer period and seismicity lasts until gravitational equilibrium is reached. Vice versa, thrusts act against gravity, exhaust their inertia faster and the elastic energy dissipation is buffered by the gravitational force. Hence, for seismic sequences of comparable magnitude and rheological parameters, aftershocks last longer in extensional settings because gravity favours the collapse of the hangingwall volumes.

| S-EPMC5703733 | biostudies-literature

Tectonic blocks and molecular clocks.

Project description:Evolutionary timescales have mainly used fossils for calibrating molecular clocks, though fossils only really provide minimum clade age constraints. In their place, phylogenetic trees can be calibrated by precisely dated geological events that have shaped biogeography. However, tectonic episodes are protracted, their role in vicariance is rarely justified, the biogeography of living clades and their antecedents may differ, and the impact of such events is contingent on ecology. Biogeographic calibrations are no panacea for the shortcomings of fossil calibrations, but their associated uncertainties can be accommodated. We provide examples of how biogeographic calibrations based on geological data can be established for the fragmentation of the Pangaean supercontinent: (i) for the uplift of the Isthmus of Panama, (ii) the separation of New Zealand from Gondwana, and (iii) for the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Biogeographic and fossil calibrations are complementary, not competing, approaches to constraining molecular clock analyses, providing alternative constraints on the age of clades that are vital to avoiding circularity in investigating the role of biogeographic mechanisms in shaping modern biodiversity.This article is part of the themed issue 'Dating species divergences using rocks and clocks'.

| S-EPMC4920344 | biostudies-other

Tectonic and climatic drivers of Asian monsoon evolution.

Project description:Asian Monsoon rainfall supports the livelihood of billions of people, yet the relative importance of different drivers remains an issue of great debate. Here, we present 30 million-year model-based reconstructions of Indian summer monsoon and South East Asian monsoon rainfall at millennial resolution. We show that precession is the dominant direct driver of orbital variability, although variability on obliquity timescales is driven through the ice sheets. Orographic development dominated the evolution of the South East Asian monsoon, but Indian summer monsoon evolution involved a complex mix of contributions from orography (39%), precession (25%), atmospheric CO2 (21%), ice-sheet state (5%) and ocean gateways (5%). Prior to 15 Ma, the Indian summer monsoon was broadly stable, albeit with substantial orbital variability. From 15 Ma to 5 Ma, strengthening was driven by a combination of orography and glaciation, while closure of the Panama gateway provided the prerequisite for the modern Indian summer monsoon state through a strengthened Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.

| S-EPMC8242090 | biostudies-literature

Tectonic gene mutations in patients with Joubert syndrome.

Project description:So far very few patients with sequence variants in the closely related tectonic genes TCTN1-3 have been described. By multi-gene panel next-generation sequencing (NGS) in patients with Joubert syndrome, we identified two more patients and summarize what is currently known about the phenotypes associated with sequence variants in these genes. In a boy aged 12 years with intellectual disability and the classical molar tooth sign on MRI, a homozygous splice-site sequence variant in TCTN3 leading to in-frame skipping of exon 7 was detected. A previously described non-truncating sequence variant in TCTN3 was also associated with Joubert syndrome, whereas four truncating sequence variants were detected in patients with Meckel-Gruber or Mohr-Majewski syndrome. The second patient, a boy aged 7 years with severe psychomotor retardation, was found to carry a homozygous canonic splice-site sequence variant in TCTN2. So far, only three sequence variants associated with Joubert syndrome and two with Meckel-Gruber syndrome have been described in this gene. Reviewing the clinical data on patients with sequence variants in the tectonic genes TCTN1-3 reveals that all of them have a neurological phenotype with vermis hypoplasia or occipital encephalocele associated with severe intellectual disability in the surviving patients. In contrast, other features frequently seen in patients with ciliopathies such as nephronophthisis, liver fibrosis, retinal dystrophy or coloboma have not been reported. Our patients emphasize the usefulness and efficacy of a comprehensive NGS panel approach. A concise genetic diagnosis may help to prevent unnecessary investigations and improve the clinical management of these patients.

| S-EPMC4402635 | biostudies-literature

Vertical tearing of subducting plates controlled by geometry and rheology of oceanic plates.

Project description:Lateral non-uniform subduction is impacted by continuous plate segmentation owing to vertical tearing of the subducting plate. However, the dynamics and physical controls of vertical tearing remain controversial. Here, we employed 3D numerical models to investigate the effects of trench geometry (offset by a transform boundary) and plate rheology (plate age and the magnitude of brittle/plastic strain weakening) on the evolution of shear stress-controlled vertical tearing within a homogenous subducting oceanic plate. Numerical results suggest that the trench offset geometry could result in self-sustained vertical tearing as a narrow shear zone within the intact subducting oceanic plate, and that this process of tearing could operate throughout the entire subduction process. Further, the critical trench offset length for the maturation of vertical tearing is impacted by plate rheology. Comparison between numerical modelling results and natural observations suggests that vertical tearing attributed to trench offset geometry is broadly developed in modern subduction and collision systems worldwide.

| S-EPMC10692197 | biostudies-literature

Tectonic-driven climate change and the diversification of angiosperms.

Project description:In 1879, Charles Darwin characterized the sudden and unexplained rise of angiosperms during the Cretaceous as an "abominable mystery." The diversification of this clade marked the beginning of a rapid transition among Mesozoic ecosystems and floras formerly dominated by ferns, conifers, and cycads. Although the role of environmental factors has been suggested [Coiffard C, Gómez B (2012) Geol Acta 10(2):181-188], Cretaceous global climate change has barely been considered as a contributor to angiosperm radiation, and focus was put on biotic factors to explain this transition. Here we use a fully coupled climate model driven by Mesozoic paleogeographic maps to quantify and discuss the impact of continental drift on angiosperm expansion and diversification. We show that the decrease of desertic belts between the Triassic and the Cretaceous and the subsequent onset of long-lasting humid conditions during the Late Cretaceous were driven by the breakup of Pangea and were contemporaneous with the first rise of angiosperm diversification. Positioning angiosperm-bearing fossil sites on our paleobioclimatic maps shows a strong match between the location of fossil-rich outcrops and temperate humid zones, indicating that climate change from arid to temperate dominance may have set the stage for the ecological expansion of flowering plants.

| S-EPMC4191762 | biostudies-literature

A generalized solution procedure for in-plane free vibration of rectangular plates and annular sectorial plates.

Project description:A generalized solution procedure is developed for in-plane free vibration of rectangular and annular sectorial plates with general boundary conditions. For the annular sectorial plate, the introduction of a logarithmic radial variable simplifies the basic theory and the expression of the total energy. The coordinates, geometric parameters and potential energy for the two different shapes are organized in a unified framework such that a generalized solving procedure becomes feasible. By using the improved Fourier-Ritz approach, the admissible functions are formulated in trigonometric form, which allows the explicit assembly of global mass and stiffness matrices for both rectangular and annular sectorial plates, thereby making the method computationally effective, especially when analysing annular sectorial plates. Moreover, the improved Fourier expansion eliminates the potential discontinuity of the original normal and tangential displacement functions and their derivatives in the entire domain, and accelerates the convergence. The generalized Fourier-Ritz approach for both shapes has the characteristics of generality, accuracy and efficiency. These features are demonstrated via a few numerical examples.

| S-EPMC5579111 | biostudies-literature

Plate tectonic controls on atmospheric CO2 levels since the Triassic.

Project description:Climate trends on timescales of 10s to 100s of millions of years are controlled by changes in solar luminosity, continent distribution, and atmosphere composition. Plate tectonics affect geography, but also atmosphere composition through volcanic degassing of CO2 at subduction zones and midocean ridges. So far, such degassing estimates were based on reconstructions of ocean floor production for the last 150 My and indirectly, through sea level inversion before 150 My. Here we quantitatively estimate CO2 degassing by reconstructing lithosphere subduction evolution, using recent advances in combining global plate reconstructions and present-day structure of the mantle. First, we estimate that since the Triassic (250-200 My) until the present, the total paleosubduction-zone length reached up to ?200% of the present-day value. Comparing our subduction-zone lengths with previously reconstructed ocean-crust production rates over the past 140 My suggests average global subduction rates have been constant, ?6 cm/y: Higher ocean-crust production is associated with longer total subduction length. We compute a strontium isotope record based on subduction-zone length, which agrees well with geological records supporting the validity of our approach: The total subduction-zone length is proportional to the summed arc and ridge volcanic CO2 production and thereby to global volcanic degassing at plate boundaries. We therefore use our degassing curve as input for the GEOCARBSULF model to estimate atmospheric CO2 levels since the Triassic. Our calculated CO2 levels for the mid Mesozoic differ from previous modeling results and are more consistent with available proxy data.

| S-EPMC3970481 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data