Sierra Nevada Plutonic Cycle: Part II, Tidal Energy and a Hypothesis for Orogenic-Epeirogenic Periodicities

Research Article| April 01, 1971 Sierra Nevada Plutonic Cycle: Part II, Tidal Energy and a Hypothesis for Orogenic-Epeirogenic Periodicities H. R SHAW; H. R SHAW U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D.C. 20242 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R. W KISTLER; R. W KISTLER U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. F EVERNDEN J. F EVERNDEN Nuclear Monitoring Research Office, ARPA, Washington, D.C. 20301 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information H. R SHAW U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D.C. 20242 R. W KISTLER U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025 J. F EVERNDEN Nuclear Monitoring Research Office, ARPA, Washington, D.C. 20301 Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 09 Feb 1970 Revision Received: 08 Dec 1970 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1971, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1971) 82 (4): 869–896. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1971)82[869:SNPCPI]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 09 Feb 1970 Revision Received: 08 Dec 1970 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation H. R SHAW, R. W KISTLER, J. F EVERNDEN; Sierra Nevada Plutonic Cycle: Part II, Tidal Energy and a Hypothesis for Orogenic-Epeirogenic Periodicities. GSA Bulletin 1971;; 82 (4): 869–896. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1971)82[869:SNPCPI]2.0.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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The dissipative power of the solid earth tides is the order of 1019 ergs/sec, or a few percent of terrestrial heat flow. It is proposed that this energy is concentrated along oceanic ridge systems and in the asthenosphere by mechanisms of viscous dissipation involving shear melting. Tidal energy localizes and sustains sources of sea-floor spreading through the melting mechanism, convection and magmatic transfer. Components of this energy enter the continent as magmatic heat either where ridge type sources and continents interact or where lateral motions induce shear zones and viscous dissipation within the continent. Temporal maxima of igneous intrusion into continental crust and related epeirogenic oscillations, spaced at intervals of about 30 m.y., are explained in terms of periodic thermal instabilities in the process of shear melting in the mantle. That is, maxima in rates of magma production in the mantle are relieved by vertical magmatic transfer. This process is coupled with lateral motions of the continent in a way analogous to episodic creep episodes of much shorter period in motions of active fault systems. Calculated periodicities are found to be simultaneously compatible with (l) the Sierra Nevada intrusive epochs of Part I, (2) oscillations in the eustatic curve during the Mesozoic Era, (3) concepts of sea-floor spreading, and (4) the magnitude of tidal power. More profound epeirogenic oscillations, having periods of about 200 m.y., are induced by variations in proportioning of tidal energy dissipation between the solid earth and the epicontinental seas. Thus, the tidal deformations of the earth provide information that leads to a general dynamic theory where magmatism, orogency, epeirogeny, sea-floor spreading and continent migration are systematically interrelated. 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.