Abstract
Mantle plumes and mantle dynamics in the Wilson cycle
Highlights
The theory of plate tectonics describes the movement of the Earth’s lithosphere, while the convective motion of the Earth’s mantle drives the tectonic plates to determine the present day position of the continents
Geological features formed by continent– continent collisions indicate that the North American continent consists of 13 major cratons amalgamated by plate tectonics (Hoffman 1988)
The dynamic processes involved in plate tectonic motion, and its relation to the thermal evolution of the mantle, are still being debated
Summary
The theory of plate tectonics describes the movement of the Earth’s lithosphere, while the convective motion of the Earth’s mantle drives the tectonic plates to determine the present day position of the continents. Similar fossils, flora and fauna on the land masses on either side of the Atlantic Ocean indicate that North and South America were once attached to the African and European continents (Wilson 1966) These descriptions of the movement of the continents are a corollary of the theory of plate tectonics. Hess 1962; Vine & Matthews 1963; Wilson 1965), outlined a cycle of ocean basin evolution: the dispersal (or rifting) of a continent; continental drift, seafloor spreading and the formation of oceanic basins; new subduction initiation and the subsequent closure of oceanic basins through oceanic lithosphere subduction; and continent– continent collision and closure of the oceanic basin. The timescale for the full cycle to be repeated is c. 500–700 myr (e.g. Nance et al 1988; Rogers & Santosh 2003; Li & Zhong 2009; Nance & Murphy 2013; Evans et al 2016; Matthews et al 2016; Green et al 2018)
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