TY - JOUR

T1 - Rapid absolute plate motion changes inferred from high-resolution relative spreading reconstructions

T2 - A case study focusing on the South America plate and its Atlantic/Pacific neighbors : [Corrigendum]

AU - Espinoza, Valentina

AU - Iaffaldano, Giampiero

N1 - Corrigendum: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118228 .

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The reconstruction of past plate motions relative to a deemed–to–be–fixed hotspot reference frame relies on the sparse occurrence of intraplate volcanism. Consequently, this absolute reference frame often features a temporal resolution that exceeds the rapid kinematic changes observed in plate–to–plate spreading reconstructions, changes recently shown to occur within less than 5 Ma. In this work we put forward an alternative method based on the study of high–resolution relative plate motion data sets. By studying time periods featuring a relatively high probability of plate motion change across multiple spreading ridges, we are able to identify and quantify (likely) changes in absolute plate motion. Specifically, we implement such approach and provide well–defined estimates for the absolute plate motion changes of South America and neighboring plates Nubia, Antarctica, Somalia, North America and Pacific. We find that kinematic changes for all these plates occur between 9 and 5 Ma. For South America, we identify a change also between 14 and 10 Ma. Lastly, we estimate the torque–variations required upon these plates to generate the inferred kinematic changes, which we find to be between ∼5e23 and ∼2e25 N ⋅ m.

AB - The reconstruction of past plate motions relative to a deemed–to–be–fixed hotspot reference frame relies on the sparse occurrence of intraplate volcanism. Consequently, this absolute reference frame often features a temporal resolution that exceeds the rapid kinematic changes observed in plate–to–plate spreading reconstructions, changes recently shown to occur within less than 5 Ma. In this work we put forward an alternative method based on the study of high–resolution relative plate motion data sets. By studying time periods featuring a relatively high probability of plate motion change across multiple spreading ridges, we are able to identify and quantify (likely) changes in absolute plate motion. Specifically, we implement such approach and provide well–defined estimates for the absolute plate motion changes of South America and neighboring plates Nubia, Antarctica, Somalia, North America and Pacific. We find that kinematic changes for all these plates occur between 9 and 5 Ma. For South America, we identify a change also between 14 and 10 Ma. Lastly, we estimate the torque–variations required upon these plates to generate the inferred kinematic changes, which we find to be between ∼5e23 and ∼2e25 N ⋅ m.

UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118228

U2 - 10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118009

DO - 10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118009

M3 - Journal article

VL - 604

JO - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

JF - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

SN - 0012-821X

M1 - 118009

ER -