In the previous section we described how plate tectonics controls many things on the earth both today and in the past. Here we’ll describe the forces that drive the movements of plates, the patterns of how plates have moved and how computer modelling lets us understand the links between the deep mantle and the surface… Continue reading What drives plate tectonics?
Category: metamorphism
Ultrafast eclogitisation through overpressure
My blogging torpor has been ended by a super-interesting new paper that links together many of my favourite topics. It includes eclogites, metamorphic petrology, ultra-fast metamorphism, determining timescales via diffusion profiles, tectonic overpressure and even the Grampian-Taconic orogeny and opens up new avenues of research. What more could I ask for from a scientific paper? The Rocks… Continue reading Ultrafast eclogitisation through overpressure
The Himalayan mountains: flow and fracture
Earth science departments are home to three styles of working, each of which tries to answer similar questions, but from very different perspectives. First we have the field geologists. Armed with field gear and a hammer, they gather data from actual rocks in the form of photos, diagrams and above all maps. Next we have those… Continue reading The Himalayan mountains: flow and fracture
Speed of metamorphism: cooling down
A while ago, I asked Twitter for suggestions of topics for future posts. A great one came from Brian Romans, a Prof at Virginia Tech and a long-standing pillar of the online geoscience community: How fast can rocks undergoing metamorphism be exhumed to the surface? How do we know (how can we measure/estimate)? https://t.co/qcsnxXKqhL — Brian… Continue reading Speed of metamorphism: cooling down