Recent plate motions in the Galapagos area

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 1977 Recent plate motions in the Galapagos area RICHARD HEY; RICHARD HEY 1Department of Geological & Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar G. LEONARD JOHNSON; G. LEONARD JOHNSON 2Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia 22217 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar ALLEN LOWRIE ALLEN LOWRIE 3U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, Washington, D.C. 20732 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information RICHARD HEY 1Department of Geological & Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 G. LEONARD JOHNSON 2Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia 22217 ALLEN LOWRIE 3U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, Washington, D.C. 20732 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1977) 88 (10): 1385–1403. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1977)88<1385:RPMITG>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation RICHARD HEY, G. LEONARD JOHNSON, ALLEN LOWRIE; Recent plate motions in the Galapagos area. GSA Bulletin 1977;; 88 (10): 1385–1403. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1977)88<1385:RPMITG>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Recent accretion on the Cocos-Nazca spreading center has been asymmetric, with more material (along most of the rise) added to the Cocos than to the Nazca plate. There is evidence in the magnetic record that some of this asymmetric accretion has resulted from small discrete jumps of the rise axis to the south, forming and destroying transform faults.Relative and absolute models of instantaneous plate motions derived here provide an accurate representation of recent motions in the east Pacific. The existence of a self-consistent model that fits all the relative-motion data provides strong support for the hypothesis that plates behave rigidly. In addition, the exceptional agreement between the relative-motion and absolute-motion models provides strong support that the Wilson-Morgan hotspot hypothesis holds for the recent past. In particular, the agreement of the predicted instantaneous azimuths of the Cocos and Carnegie Ridges with their observed azimuths strongly suggests that at least the young parts of both aseismic ridges were formed by the motion of the Cocos and Nazca plates over a Galapagos hotspot. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.