” We discovered that plate boundary zones account for almost 16 percent of the Earths crust and an even greater proportion, 27 percent, of continents.”
” Our new model for tectonic plates better discusses the spatial distribution of 90 percent of earthquakes and 80 percent of volcanoes from the past two million years whereas existing designs only capture 65 percent of earthquakes.”
— Dr. Derrick Hasterok, Lecturer, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide
New designs showing the Earths architecture. Credit: Dr. Derrick Hasterok, University of Adelaide
The group produced three new geological models: a plate design, a province model, and an orogeny model.
” There are 26 orogenies– the procedure of mountain formation– that have left an imprint on the present-day architecture of the crust. A lot of these, however not all, are related to the formation of supercontinents,” said Dr. Hasterok.
” Our work permits us to upgrade maps of tectonic plates and the development of continents that are found in classroom textbooks. These plate designs which have actually been put together from topographic designs and global seismicity, have not been upgraded because 2003.”
The brand-new plate design consists of a number of new microplates including the Macquarie microplate which sits south of Tasmania and the Capricorn microplate which separates the Australian and indian plates.
” To further enhance the design, we added more accurate information about the limits of contortion zones: previous designs revealed these as discrete locations rather than wide zones,” stated Dr. Hasterok.
” The greatest changes to the plate model have actually remained in western North America, which typically has the border with the Pacific Plate drawn as the San Andreas and Queen Charlotte Faults. The newly delineated boundary is much wider, approximately 1500 km, than the formerly drawn narrow zone.
” The other large modification remains in main Asia. The brand-new model now consists of all the deformation zones north of India as the plate bulldozes its way into Eurasia.”
A tale told by the continents. Credit: Dr. Derrick Hasterok, University of Adelaide
Published in the journal Earth-Science Reviews, the groups work offers a more precise representation of the Earths architecture and has other essential applications.
” Our brand-new design for tectonic plates much better explains the spatial circulation of 90 percent of earthquakes and 80 percent of volcanoes from the previous two million years whereas existing designs only record 65 percent of earthquakes,” said Dr. Hasterok.
” The plate design can be utilized to enhance models of threats from geohazards; the orogeny model helps understand the geodynamic systems and much better model Earths evolution and the province model can be used to improve prospecting for minerals.”
Reference: “New Maps of Global Geological Provinces and Tectonic Plates” by Derrick Hasterok, Jacqueline A. Halpin, Alan S. Collins, Martin Hand, Corné Kreemer, Matthew G. Gard and Stijn Glorie, 31 May 2022, Earth-Science Reviews.DOI: 10.1016/ j.earscirev.2022.104069.
The work consisted of scientists at the Universities of Adelaide, Tasmania, Nevada-Reno, and Geoscience Australia.
New tectonic plate model with boundary zones in darker shading. Credit: Dr. Derrick Hasterok, University of Adelaide
New designs that show how the continents were assembled are supplying fresh insights into the history of the Earth and will assist supply a better understanding of natural hazards like volcanoes and earthquakes.
” We looked at the current knowledge of the configuration of plate boundary zones and the previous building of the continental crust,” stated Dr. Derrick Hasterok, Lecturer, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide who led the team that produced the new designs.
” The continents were assembled a couple of pieces at a time, a bit like a jigsaw, but each time the puzzle was completed it was cut up and rearranged to produce a new photo. Our study helps illuminate the different components so geologists can piece together the previous images.