Rapid plate-­motion variations through geological time: observations serving geodynamic interpretation

Past and current plate motions are increasingly­ well mapped from high­ temporal­ resolution paleo­magnetic and geodetic studies, revealing rapid variations in plate motions that occur on short time­scales relative to the time it takes for the large ­scale structure associated with mantle buoyancy to evolve. The rates of change of plate velocities hold key information on the geodynamic, tectonic and Earth's surface processes that may have caused them. Rapid plate­ motion changes thus provide us with a unique opportunity to quantify the forcing associated with these processes. Important mechanisms capable of inducing such rapid changes include evolving plate­ boundary forces, as for instance those associated with slab sinking or orogeny along convergent margins, as well as temporal variations in pressure ­driven flow within the asthenosphere, which link plate­ velocity variations explicitly to changes in dynamic topography. Here we focus on (i) findings from recent kinematic observations and (ii) the quantitative framework that allows their geodynamic interpretation.

@article{id2051,
  author = {Iaffaldano, Giampiero and Bunge, Hans-Peter},
  doi = {10.1146/annurev-earth-060614-105117},
  journal = {Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences},
  language = {en},
  pages = {571-592},
  title = {Rapid plate-\-motion variations through geological time: observations serving geodynamic interpretation},
  url = {http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-earth-060614-105117},
  volume = {43},
  year = {2015},
}

%O Journal Article
%A Iaffaldano, Giampiero
%A Bunge, Hans-Peter
%R 10.1146/annurev-earth-060614-105117
%J Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences
%G en
%P 571-592
%T Rapid plate-­motion variations through geological time: observations serving geodynamic interpretation
%U http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-earth-060614-105117
%V 43
%D 2015