Dynamics of Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection, written by specialists in the field, gathers state-of-the-art perspectives on the dynamics of plate tectonics and mantle convection. Plate tectonics is a unifying theory of solid Earth sciences. In its initial form, it was a kinematic theory that described how the planet’s surface is fragmented into several rigid lithospheric plates that move in relation to each other over the less viscous asthenosphere. Plate tectonics soon evolved to describe the forces that drive and resist plate movements. The Earth sciences community is now developing a new perspective that looks at plate tectonics and mantle convection as part of a single system. Why does our planet have plate tectonics, and how does it work? How does mantle convection drive the supercontinent cycle? How have tectono-convective modes evolved over the Earth’s history? How did they shape the planet and impact life? Do other planets have mantle convection and tectonics? These are some of the fascinating questions explored in this book.
This book started with a challenge from the editor to the authors to provide perspectives from their vantage point and open the curtain to the endeavors and stories behind the science.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction to Dynamics of Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection - p. iii 2. Chapter 2: The Physics and Origin of Plate Tectonics From Grains to Global Scales - p. iii 3. Chapter 3: Energetics of the Solid Earth: Implications for the Structure of Mantle Convection - p. iii 4. Chapter 4: Influence of Mantle Rheology on the Formation of Plate Tectonic Style of Mantle Convection - p. iii 5. Chapter 5: Tectonic Strain Rates, Diffuse Oceanic Plate Boundaries, and the Plate Tectonic Approximation - p. iii 6. Chapter 6: Tectonics is a Hologram - p. iii 7. Chapter 7: Internal Planetary Feedbacks, Mantle Dynamics, and Plate Tectonics - p. iii 8. Chapter 8: Tectono-Convective Modes on Earth and Other Terrestrial Bodies - p. iii 9. Chapter 9: The Past and the Future of Plate Tectonics and Other Tectonic Regimes - p. iii 10. Chapter 10: How Mantle Convection Drives the Supercontinent Cycle: Mechanism, Driving Force, and Substantivity - p. iii 11. Chapter 11: Observations and Models of Dynamic Topography: Current Status and Future Directions - p. iii 12. Chapter 12: Feedbacks Between Internal and External Earth Dynamics - p. iii 13. Chapter 13: Co-Evolution of Life and Plate Tectonics: The Biogeodynamic Perspective on the Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic Transitions - p. iii 14. Chapter 14: Subduction Zones: A Short Review - p. iii 15. Chapter 15: An Evolutionary Perspective on Subduction Initiation - p. iii 16. Chapter 16: Lithosphere–Mantle Interactions in Subduction Zones - p. iii 17. Chapter 17: Mantle Plumes and Their Interactions - p. iii 18. Chapter 18: Evolution of Mantle Plumes and Lower Mantle Structure in Numerical Models Using Tectonic Reconstructions as Boundary Conditions - p. iii 19. Chapter 19: Rifting Continents - p. iii 20. Chapter 20: Mid-Ocean Ridges: Geodynamics Written in the Seafloor - p. iii 21. Chapter 21: Roles of Serpentinization in Plate Tectonics and the Evolution of Earth’s Mantle - p. iii 22. Chapter 22: Numerical Modeling of Subduction - p. iii 23. Chapter 23: Literate, Reusable, Geodynamic Modeling - p. iii 24. Chapter 24: Perspectives on Planetary Tectonics - p. iii 25. Index - p. iii
Dynamics of Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection, written by specialists in the field, gathers state-of-the-art perspectives on the dynamics of plate tectonics and mantle convection. Plate tectonics is a unifying theory of solid Earth sciences. In its initial form, it was a kinematic theory that described how the planet’s surface is fragmented into several rigid lithospheric plates that move in relation to each other over the less viscous asthenosphere. Plate tectonics soon evolved to describe the forces that drive and resist plate movements. The Earth sciences community is now developing a new perspective that looks at plate tectonics and mantle convection as part of a single system. Why does our planet have plate tectonics, and how does it work? How does mantle convection drive the supercontinent cycle? How have tectono-convective modes evolved over the Earth’s history? How did they shape the planet and impact life? Do other planets have mantle convection and tectonics? These are some of the fascinating questions explored in this book.
This book started with a challenge from the editor to the authors to provide perspectives from their vantage point and open the curtain to the endeavors and stories behind the science.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction to Dynamics of Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection - p. iii 2. Chapter 2: The Physics and Origin of Plate Tectonics From Grains to Global Scales - p. iii 3. Chapter 3: Energetics of the Solid Earth: Implications for the Structure of Mantle Convection - p. iii 4. Chapter 4: Influence of Mantle Rheology on the Formation of Plate Tectonic Style of Mantle Convection - p. iii 5. Chapter 5: Tectonic Strain Rates, Diffuse Oceanic Plate Boundaries, and the Plate Tectonic Approximation - p. iii 6. Chapter 6: Tectonics is a Hologram - p. iii 7. Chapter 7: Internal Planetary Feedbacks, Mantle Dynamics, and Plate Tectonics - p. iii 8. Chapter 8: Tectono-Convective Modes on Earth and Other Terrestrial Bodies - p. iii 9. Chapter 9: The Past and the Future of Plate Tectonics and Other Tectonic Regimes - p. iii 10. Chapter 10: How Mantle Convection Drives the Supercontinent Cycle: Mechanism, Driving Force, and Substantivity - p. iii 11. Chapter 11: Observations and Models of Dynamic Topography: Current Status and Future Directions - p. iii 12. Chapter 12: Feedbacks Between Internal and External Earth Dynamics - p. iii 13. Chapter 13: Co-Evolution of Life and Plate Tectonics: The Biogeodynamic Perspective on the Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic Transitions - p. iii 14. Chapter 14: Subduction Zones: A Short Review - p. iii 15. Chapter 15: An Evolutionary Perspective on Subduction Initiation - p. iii 16. Chapter 16: Lithosphere–Mantle Interactions in Subduction Zones - p. iii 17. Chapter 17: Mantle Plumes and Their Interactions - p. iii 18. Chapter 18: Evolution of Mantle Plumes and Lower Mantle Structure in Numerical Models Using Tectonic Reconstructions as Boundary Conditions - p. iii 19. Chapter 19: Rifting Continents - p. iii 20. Chapter 20: Mid-Ocean Ridges: Geodynamics Written in the Seafloor - p. iii 21. Chapter 21: Roles of Serpentinization in Plate Tectonics and the Evolution of Earth’s Mantle - p. iii 22. Chapter 22: Numerical Modeling of Subduction - p. iii 23. Chapter 23: Literate, Reusable, Geodynamic Modeling - p. iii 24. Chapter 24: Perspectives on Planetary Tectonics - p. iii 25. Index - p. iii
