Rocks stretch, break, and flow, depending on how and under which conditions they are loaded. A new formulation to better capture Earth’s rheology is explored in the context of plate thickness.
plate tectonics
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Southern California’s Crustal Motion Tells of Earthquake Hazards
Precise measurements of the Earth’s vertical surface motion help to elucidate the hazards of faults in an earthquake-prone region.
Posted inFeatures
The Bay of Bengal and the Curious Case of the Missing Rift
In a classic detective story, clues from data new and old helped researchers reveal the puzzling chain of tectonic events that followed the Early Cretaceous split between India and Antarctica.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Steadying Mid-Ocean Ridge Spreading Rates
Researchers used an up-to-date global magnetic anomaly data set to track the history of magnetic field reversals and obtain more accurate estimates of tectonic spreading rates.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Unexpected Oceanic Lithosphere-Asthenosphere P-wave Velocities
A peak in seismic P-wave – S-wave velocity ratios at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath old Pacific lithosphere requires an additional property besides temperature as an explanation.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Olivine Micropillars Reveal Shallow Lithosphere Rheology
Micrometer scale investigation of the rheological properties of olivine in pressure and temperature conditions corresponding to the shallow lithosphere.
Posted inScience Updates
Evolution of the Asian Monsoon
Climate and topography change the characteristics of the Asian monsoon over millions of years. These changes affect the region’s climate and topography, and the cycle continues.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Other, Deeper, South American Flat Slab
Tomographers trace the slab subducting beneath South America into the lower mantle, providing the most complete picture of structure beneath the continent to date.
Posted inNews
A Plate Boundary Emerges Between India and Australia
Bathymetric and seismic data point to a new plate boundary in a fracture-riddled zone beneath the northern Indian Ocean.
Posted inNews
Are We Seeing a New Ocean Starting to Form in Africa?
Although shallow magma storage at Erta Ale volcano hints at a rift-to-ridge transition, the tectonic future of the Afar region is far from certain.