On the breakup and coalescence of continents

Research Article| February 01, 1994 On the breakup and coalescence of continents Christopher C. Duncan; Christopher C. Duncan 1Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Donald L. Turcotte Donald L. Turcotte 1Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1994) 22 (2): 103–106. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0103:OTBACO>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Christopher C. Duncan, Donald L. Turcotte; On the breakup and coalescence of continents. Geology 1994;; 22 (2): 103–106. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0103:OTBACO>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Reconstructions of the past positions of the continents indicate that at least twice a supercontinent has formed and subsequently split and dispersed as smaller continents. This has led to speculation about the existence of a periodic cycle of supercontinent coalescence and breakup, for which various mechanisms involving mantle dynamics have been proposed. In this paper we investigate the plate-tectonic system by means of a simple kinematic model to determine to what extent its behavior results from geometric or kinematic factors as opposed to dynamic processes. Results from computer simulations show that the overall behavior of the system is determined by the dimensionless parameter T = Ωτ, where Ω is the mean relative angular speed of the continents and τ is the mean time interval between plumes. The results for T = 0.10 are in good agreement with observations and indicate that a supercontinent is unlikely to form at current plate speeds in the presence of steady-state plume fluxes; evidence of supercontinents therefore implies that plume fluxes and plate speeds have varied through time. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.