New data on ancient zircons points to a transition from stagnant lid to subduction style tectonics at 3.6 Ga ago.
Plate tectonics
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Lost Topography Around Continental Rifts
Numerical models provide quantitative constraints on topography lost to erosion, showing how the sediment influx in a sedimentary basin reflects its tectonic and topographic evolution.
Posted inNews
Hot Springs Suggest How the Tibetan Plateau Became the Roof of the World
Helium isotopes found in water samples provide a snapshot of what lies beneath the plateau and stimulate debate within the geosciences community.
Posted inNews
Do Earthquakes and Tectonic Plates Have a Two-Way Relationship?
A catastrophic earthquake in Turkey in 1999 changed the motion of the Anatolian plate, according to a study that could change the fundamentals of quake models.
Posted inFeatures
Incredible Journeys on the Crown of the Continent
Living in Geologic Time: The making, breaking, and backpacking of North America’s Continental Divide.
Posted inScience Updates
A Puzzle Mat for Assembling Colombia’s Geologic History
A new database compiles all the available pieces of information about Colombia’s geochronology, offering scientists a consistent framework in which to view and study the data in a broader context.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Transient Mantle Flow Triggers Morphotectonic Activity in Asia
Changes in mantle dynamics following the Australian collision in southeast Asia triggered fast and intense morphotectonic activity at the surface.
Posted inFeatures
Exploring Subduction Zone Geohazards on Land and at Sea
A new initiative is bringing together scientists to address fundamental questions about subduction zone geohazards, using the latest advances in observation technology and computational resources.
Posted inFeatures
Striking Out into the Field to Track Slip on the Sumatran Fault
An international team overcame many challenges, including from the COVID-19 pandemic, to deploy a dense seismic network along an understudied fault system that poses hazards to millions in Indonesia.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Role of Magma in the Birth of the Atlantic Ocean
High-resolution seismic models of the Nova Scotia margin reveal a role for magmatism in continental breakup, even at magma-poor sections of the eastern North American margin.