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: subduction
Plate tectonics
Deep in the earth, solid rocks can flow, but the surface layers are cold rigid plates that move across the surface. This means that continents are constantly drifting across the earth and oceanic crust is being created and destroyed. Plate tectonics is one of the most successful scientific theories of the Twentieth Century. It explains… Continue reading Plate tectonics
Beyond plate tectonics
Plate tectonics is the core unifying concept that has underpinned our understanding of the solid earth for over 50 years. To describe your research as moving “beyond plate tectonics” is quite a claim, but Trond Torsvik and the group he leads have some remarkable science to back it up. By tracking the movement of the earth’s plates… Continue reading Beyond plate tectonics
The Constitution of the Interior of Earth, as Revealed by Earthquakes
How to tell if the loaf of bread in your oven is cooked? You can see the outside is nicely browned, but you can’t see the middle – is it doughy still? Give it a tap and listen. If it sounds hollow then it’s ready. The sound of the tap passes through cooked bread differently than through… Continue reading The Constitution of the Interior of Earth, as Revealed by Earthquakes