Counter-rotating microplates at the Galapagos triple junction
Counter-rotating microplates at the Galapagos triple junction
复制标题
加拉帕戈斯三重连接处的反向旋转微孔板
DOI：
10.1038/nature03262
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发表时间：
2005
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
H. Schouten
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
E. Klein;Deborah K. Smith;Clare M. Williams;H. Schouten
位于2° 40′ N东太平洋海隆以东（与之正交）的一个“初期”扩张中心已被确定为形成加拉帕戈斯微板块北方边界的一部分。这个扩张中心被描述为一个缓慢发散、向西传播的裂谷，逐渐向东太平洋海隆延伸。在这里，我们提出的证据表明，“初期裂谷”也向东裂开，并打开逆时针围绕一个支点在其东端。这个“初始裂缝”接着又形成了第二个微板块，位于顺时针旋转的加拉帕戈斯微板块的北面。加拉帕戈斯三联点区域位于赤道东太平洋，因此由两个反向旋转的微板块组成，部分被赫斯裂谷分开。我们的微板运动相对于主要板块的运动学解表明，两个反向旋转的微板可以被视为由微板边缘上的阻力驱动的刚性块3。
An ‘incipient’ spreading centre east of (and orthogonal to) the East Pacific Rise at 2° 40′ N has been identified as forming a portion of the northern boundary of the Galapagos microplate. This spreading centre was described as a slowly diverging, westward propagating rift, tapering towards the East Pacific Rise. Here we present evidence that the ‘incipient rift’ has also rifted towards the east and opens anticlockwise about a pivot at its eastern end. The ‘incipient rift’ then bounds a second microplate, north of the clockwise-rotating Galapagos microplate. The Galapagos triple junction region, in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, thus consists of two counter-rotating microplates partly separated by the Hess Deep rift. Our kinematic solution for microplate motion relative to the major plates indicates that the two counter-rotating microplates may be treated as rigid blocks driven by drag on the microplates' edges3.