scholarly journals About this title - Fifty Years of the Wilson Cycle Concept in Plate Tectonics

10.1144/sp470 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 470 (1) ◽  
pp. NP-NP
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Mantle Dynamics ◽  
Tectonic Inheritance ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Geological Evolution ◽  
Wilson Cycle ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Orogenic Belts

Fifty years ago, Tuzo Wilson published his paper asking ‘Did the Atlantic close and then re-open?’. This led to the ‘Wilson Cycle’ concept in which the repeated opening and closing of ocean basins along old orogenic belts is a key process in the assembly and breakup of supercontinents. The Wilson Cycle underlies much of what we know about the geological evolution of the Earth and its lithosphere, and will no doubt continue to be developed as we gain more understanding of the physical processes that control mantle convection, plate tectonics, and as more data become available from currently less accessible regions.This volume includes both thematic and review papers covering various aspects of the Wilson Cycle concept. Thematic sections include: (1) the Classic Wilson v. Supercontinent Cycles, (2) Mantle Dynamics in the Wilson Cycle, (3) Tectonic Inheritance in the Lithosphere, (4) Revisiting Tuzo's question on the Atlantic, (5) Opening and Closing of Oceans, and (6) Cratonic Basins and their place in the Wilson Cycle.

scholarly journals Fifty years of the Wilson Cycle concept in plate tectonics: an overview

2019 ◽  
Vol 470 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Wilson ◽  
G. A. Houseman ◽  
S. J. H. Buiter ◽  
K. J. W. McCaffrey ◽  
A. G. Doré
Keyword(s):  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
Geological Evolution ◽  
Wilson Cycle ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Orogenic Belts

AbstractIt is now more than 50 years since Tuzo Wilson published his paper asking ‘Did the Atlantic close and then re-open?’. This led to the ‘Wilson Cycle’ concept in which the repeated opening and closing of ocean basins along old orogenic belts is a key process in the assembly and breakup of supercontinents. This implied that the processes of rifting and mountain building somehow pre-conditioned and weakened the lithosphere in these regions, making them susceptible to strain localization during future deformation episodes. Here we provide a retrospective look at the development of the concept, how it has evolved over the past five decades, current thinking and future focus areas. The Wilson Cycle has proved enormously important to the theory and practice of geology and underlies much of what we know about the geological evolution of the Earth and its lithosphere. The concept will no doubt continue to be developed as we gain more understanding of the physical processes that control mantle convection and plate tectonics, and as more data become available from currently less accessible regions.

PLANETARY SELF-ORGANIZATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-282
Author(s):  
OLEG IVANOV
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical System ◽  
Heat Source ◽  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Rotation Speed ◽  
Self Organization ◽  
Heat Sources ◽  
Kinematic Parameters ◽  
The Earth ◽  
New Type

The general characteristics of planetary systems are described. Well-known heat sources of evolution are considered. A new type of heat source, variations of kinematic parameters in a dynamical system, is proposed. The inconsistency of the perovskite-post-perovskite heat model is proved. Calculations of inertia moments relative to the D boundary on the Earth are given. The 9 times difference allows us to claim that the sliding of the upper layers at the Earth's rotation speed variations emit heat by viscous friction.This heat is the basis of mantle convection and lithospheric plate tectonics.

Introductory remarks

1980 ◽  
Vol 297 (1431) ◽  
pp. 137-138
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Sharp Change ◽  
Indirect Approach ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Wave Velocities ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Magnesium Silicates ◽  
Sea Floor Spreading ◽  
Seismic Discontinuity

The substratum of the Earth, as Arthur Holmes originally described it, now generally known as the mantle , is the envelope, mainly of magnesium silicates, surrounding the fluid metallic core. It is separated from the continental and oceanic crusts which overlie it by the Mohorovicic seismic discontinuity, where there is a sharp change from earthquake wave velocities less than 7.2 km s -1 above to 7.8-8.1 km s -1 below. The thickness of the envelope is of the order of 2900 km, compared with about 4 km for ocean crust and 30 km for unthickened continental crust. Much attention has been devoted by geophysicists to the properties of the mantle, particularly in the course of the Geodynamics Project of I.U.G.G./I.U.G.S., during which important conclusions regarding sea floor spreading, plate tectonics and mantle convection have been reached. The fact that the overwhelming bulk of the mantle is not, and never will be, accessible for direct collection has perhaps resulted in less interest so far from the geochemical side. Accepting, however, that a partly indirect approach is inevitable, the time is now ripe for a thorough examination of the contribution that geochemical techniques can make.

Fitting a new piece into the Precambrian puzzle: the detrital rutile record and its links to modern plate tectonics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Pereira ◽  
Craig D. Storey ◽  
Robin Strachan ◽  
Hugo Moreira ◽  
James Darling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continental Crust ◽  
Detrital Zircon ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Secular Evolution ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Selective Preservation ◽  
Clastic Sedimentary ◽  
Detrital Zircon Ages ◽  
Orogenic Belts ◽  
Collisional Orogens

<p>Plate tectonics is responsible for shaping the Earth’s surface, influencing the geological, hydrological and atmospheric cycles. However, there is no consensus on when plate tectonics initiated: was it fully operational during the Archean or did it not develop until the Proterozoic?</p><p>Much of what is currently known about the secular evolution of Earth’s continental crust and its links to plate tectonics has been recovered from detrital minerals. This is related to the incomplete rock record; the detrital record allows access to information from eroded and unexposed terrains. Most studies have relied on the detrital zircon record, but it is still unclear if the coincidence in age peaks with periods of supercontinent assembly reflects episodic continental growth or bias due to selective preservation of new crust within collisional orogenic belts. Furthermore, because zircon mostly grows in high-temperature conditions, it mostly calibrates magmatic cycles. To understand the evolution of plate tectonics and to assess its influence on continental crust preservation, we developed a new proxy, relevant to a range of metamorphic conditions, including HP-LT.</p><p>We investigate the U-Pb distribution ages of detrital rutile, from a range of modern stream sediments and siliciclastic units at sub-amphibolite facies metamorphic grade. Rutile mostly forms in collisional orogens and, by comparison with the zircon record, we can test the existence of a preservation bias. Zircon and rutile age distributions from our sample sets show a significant correlation, both peaks and troughs, that can only be reconciled if the detrital zircon record reflects a preservation bias that occurred during supercontinent assembly.</p><p>We further present new U-Pb and trace element data from detrital rutile within two clastic sedimentary units, preserved at sub-greenschist facies conditions in NW Scotland. These are the Torridon (Tonian) and the Ardvreck (Cambrian) groups, whose detrital zircon ages span a significant period between 3 and 1 Ga. By applying Zr-in-rutile thermometry and comparing it to the preserved metamorphic record, we show that both low and high dT/dP conditions can be inferred since at least 2.1 Ga.</p><p>Combining the existence of paired metamorphism up to 2.1 Ga with the periodic preservation of the continental crust throughout most of the Earth’s history implies that one-sided subduction, a hallmark of plate tectonics, has operated since at least the late Paleoproterozoic, and that supercontinent assembly during and after this period has been driven by plate tectonic mechanisms.</p>

scholarly journals Geodynamic diagnostics, scientific visualisation and StagLab 3.0

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Crameri
Keyword(s):  
Software Package ◽  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Plate Bending ◽  
Scientific Software ◽  
Mantle Dynamics ◽  
Geodynamic Models ◽  
Visual Error

Abstract. Today's Geodynamic models can, often do, and sometimes have to become very complex. Their underlying, increasingly elaborate numerical codes produce a growing amount of raw data. Post-processing such data becomes therefore more and more challenging and time consuming. In addition, visualising processed data and results has, in times of coloured figures and a wealth of half-scientific software, become one of the weakest pillars of science, widely mistreated and ignored. Efficient and automated Geodynamic diagnostics and sensible, scientific visualisation, preventing common pitfalls, is thus more important than ever. Here, a collection of numerous diagnostics for plate tectonics and mantle dynamics is provided and a case for truly scientific visualisation is made. Amongst other diagnostics are a most accurate and robust plate-boundary identification, slab-polarity recognition, plate-bending derivation, surface-topography component splitting and mantle-plume detection. Thanks to powerful image processing tools and other elaborate algorithms, these and many other insightful diagnostics are conveniently derived from only a subset of the most basic parameter fields. A brand-new set of scientifically proof, perceptually uniform colour maps including "devon", "davos", "oslo" and "broc" is introduced and made freely available. These novel colour maps bring a significant advantage over misleading, non-scientific colour maps like "rainbow"', which is shown to introduce a visual error to the underlying data of up to 7.5 %. Finally, StagLab (http://www.fabiocrameri.ch/software) is introduced, a software package that incorporates the whole suite of automated Geodynamic diagnostics and, on top of that, applies state-of-the-art, scientific visualisation to produce publication-ready figures and movies, all in a blink of an eye, all fully reproducible. StagLab, a simple, flexible, efficient and reliable tool, made freely available to everyone, is written in MatLab and adjustable for use with Geodynamic mantle-convection codes.

John Tuzo Wilson: a Canadian who revolutionized Earth Sciences

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. v-viii ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Polat
Keyword(s):  
Earth Sciences ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
50Th Anniversary ◽  
Continental Drift ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
Wilson Cycle ◽  
Geologic Record

John Tuzo Wilson (1908–1993) was one of the greatest Canadian scientists of the 20th century. His contributions to Earth Sciences, leading the formulation of the theory of plate tectonics, have revolutionized our understanding of how the planet Earth works and evolved over the past 4 billion years. This 50th anniversary special issue of the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences is dedicated in honour of John Tuzo Wilson, who inspired tens of thousands of students all around the world to study the Earth. This special issue contains 12 papers dealing with various aspects of the “Wilson Cycle” in the geologic record, plate tectonics, mantle plumes, and how John Tuzo Wilson accepted “continental drift” and formulated the theory of plate tectonics. The contributions have mostly been made by geoscientists who directly or indirectly associated with John Tuzo Wilson and have contributed significantly to the plate tectonics paradigm.

scholarly journals Geodynamic diagnostics, scientific visualisation and StagLab 3.0

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2541-2562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Crameri
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Scientific Quality ◽  
Plate Bending ◽  
Scientific Software ◽  
Mantle Dynamics ◽  
Geodynamic Models ◽  
Visual Error

Abstract. Today's geodynamic models can, often do and sometimes have to become very complex. Their underlying, increasingly elaborate numerical codes produce a growing amount of raw data. Post-processing such data is therefore becoming more and more important, but also more challenging and time-consuming. In addition, visualising processed data and results has, in times of coloured figures and a wealth of half-scientific software, become one of the weakest pillars of science, widely mistreated and ignored. Efficient and automated geodynamic diagnostics and sensible scientific visualisation preventing common pitfalls is thus more important than ever. Here, a collection of numerous diagnostics for plate tectonics and mantle dynamics is provided and a case for truly scientific visualisation is made. Amongst other diagnostics are a most accurate and robust plate-boundary identification, slab-polarity recognition, plate-bending derivation, surface-topography component splitting and mantle-plume detection. Thanks to powerful image processing tools and other elaborate algorithms, these and many other insightful diagnostics are conveniently derived from only a subset of the most basic parameter fields. A brand new set of scientific quality, perceptually uniform colour maps including devon, davos, oslo and broc is introduced and made freely available (http://www.fabiocrameri.ch/colourmaps, last access: 25 June 2018). These novel colour maps bring a significant advantage over misleading, non-scientific colour maps like rainbow, which is shown to introduce a visual error to the underlying data of up to 7.5 %. Finally, StagLab (http://www.fabiocrameri.ch/StagLab, last access: 25 June 2018) is introduced, a software package that incorporates the whole suite of automated geodynamic diagnostics and, on top of that, applies state-of-the-art scientific visualisation to produce publication-ready figures and movies, all in the blink of an eye and all fully reproducible. StagLab, a simple, flexible, efficient and reliable tool made freely available to everyone, is written in MATLAB and adjustable for use with geodynamic mantle convection codes.

scholarly journals Mantle plumes and mantle dynamics in the Wilson cycle

2019 ◽  
Vol 470 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Heron
Keyword(s):  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Thermal Evolution ◽  
Mantle Flow ◽  
Mantle Plumes ◽  
Mantle Dynamics ◽  
The Core ◽  
Deep Mantle ◽  
Igneous Provinces ◽  
Wilson Cycle

AbstractThis review discusses the thermal evolution of the mantle following large-scale tectonic activities such as continental collision and continental rifting. About 300 myr ago, continental material amalgamated through the large-scale subduction of oceanic seafloor, marking the termination of one or more oceanic basins (e.g. Wilson cycles) and the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea. The present day location of the continents is due to the rifting apart of Pangaea, with the dispersal of the supercontinent being characterized by increased volcanic activity linked to the generation of deep mantle plumes. The discussion presented here investigates theories regarding the thermal evolution of the mantle (e.g. mantle temperatures and sub-continental plumes) following the formation of a supercontinent. Rifting, orogenesis and mass eruptions from large igneous provinces change the landscape of the lithosphere, whereas processes related to the initiation and termination of oceanic subduction have a profound impact on deep mantle reservoirs and thermal upwelling through the modification of mantle flow. Upwelling and downwelling in mantle convection are dynamically linked and can influence processes from the crust to the core, placing the Wilson cycle and the evolution of oceans at the forefront of our dynamic Earth.

scholarly journals Crustal evolution and mantle dynamics through Earth history

2018 ◽  
Vol 376 (2132) ◽  
pp. 20170408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Korenaga
Keyword(s):  
Continental Crust ◽  
Mantle Convection ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Quantitative Model ◽  
Early Earth ◽  
Mantle Dynamics ◽  
Earth History ◽  
Geological Processes ◽  
Earth Dynamics

Resolving the modes of mantle convection through Earth history, i.e. when plate tectonics started and what kind of mantle dynamics reigned before, is essential to the understanding of the evolution of the whole Earth system, because plate tectonics influences almost all aspects of modern geological processes. This is a challenging problem because plate tectonics continuously rejuvenates Earth's surface on a time scale of about 100 Myr, destroying evidence for its past operation. It thus becomes essential to exploit indirect evidence preserved in the buoyant continental crust, part of which has survived over billions of years. This contribution starts with an in-depth review of existing models for continental growth. Growth models proposed so far can be categorized into three types: crust-based, mantle-based and other less direct inferences, and the first two types are particularly important as their difference reflects the extent of crustal recycling, which can be related to subduction. Then, a theoretical basis for a change in the mode of mantle convection in the Precambrian is reviewed, along with a critical appraisal of some popular notions for early Earth dynamics. By combining available geological and geochemical observations with geodynamical considerations, a tentative hypothesis is presented for the evolution of mantle dynamics and its relation to surface environment; the early onset of plate tectonics and gradual mantle hydration are responsible not only for the formation of continental crust but also for its preservation as well as its emergence above sea level. Our current understanding of various material properties and elementary processes is still too premature to build a testable, quantitative model for this hypothesis, but such modelling efforts could potentially transform the nature of the data-starved early Earth research by quantifying the extent of preservation bias.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Earth dynamics and the development of plate tectonics’.

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