This textbook explains how mountains are formed and why there are old and young mountains. It provides a reconstruction of the Earths paleogeography and shows why the shapes of South America and Africa fit so well together. Furthermore, it explains why the Pacific is surrounded by a ring of volcanos and earthquake-prone areas while the edges of the Atlantic are relatively peaceful.
This thoroughly revised textbook edition addresses all these questions and more through the presentation and explanation of the geodynamic processes upon which the theory of continental drift is based and which have led to the concept of plate tectonics.
It is a source of information for students of geology, geophysics, geography, geosciences in general, general natural sciences, as well as professionals, and interested layman.
Author(s): Wolfgang Frisch, Martin Meschede, Ronald C. Blakey
Series: Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment
Edition: 2
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 246
City: Cham
Preface to the First Edition
Contents
1 Contractional Theory, Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics
1.1 Plate Tectonics—A Change in the Paradigm of the Geosciences
1.2 Early History of Geodynamic Thought
1.3 From Continental Drift to Plate Tectonics
1.4 The Plate Tectonic Concept
1.5 The Pattern of Magnetic Polarity Stripes
1.6 Plate Motions and Earthquake Zones
1.7 Two Kinds of Continental Margins
1.8 Magmatism and Plate Tectonics
1.9 What Drives the Plates and What Slows Them Down?
1.10 Collision and Mountain Building
2 Plate Movements and Their Geometric Relationships
2.1 Helpful Transform Faults
2.2 Relative Movements and Triple Junctions
Two RTF Triple Junctions off North America
2.3 Relative Plate Velocities—Past and Present
2.4 Direct Measurement of Plate Movements
2.5 Apparent Contradictions in the Plate Motion Pattern
Fault–Plane–Solutions of Earthquakes
3 Continental Graben Structures
Active and Passive Graben Structures
3.1 Symmetric and Asymmetric Crustal Extension
3.2 Sediments and Ore Deposits in Graben Structures
3.3 Volcanism in Graben Structures
3.4 The Upper Rhine Graben in Germany
3.5 The History of the Upper Rhine Graben
The Upper Rhine Graben in the Middle European Stress Field
3.6 Magmatism and Heat Flow in the Upper Rhine Graben
3.7 The Large East African Rift System
The Afar Depression
3.8 The Red Sea—From Rift to Drift
3.9 The Extensional Area of the Basin and Range Province
3.10 The Development of Metamorphic Domes
3.11 A Brief History of the Basin and Range Province
4 Passive Continental Margins and Abyssal Plains
4.1 Continuous Subsidence of the Continental Margins
4.2 The Sedimentary Trap at a Passive Continental Margin
Tracts of Sequence Stratigraphy
4.3 Processes on Continental Margins
4.4 Petroleum Deposits—The Economic Significance of Passive Continental Margins
4.5 The Atlantic—An Ocean Opens in an Intricate Manner
4.6 Pangaea and Panthalassa
4.7 The Large Abyssal Plains
4.8 Sediments of the Abyssal Plains
Manganese Nodules from the Deep Sea
4.9 Facies Changes on the Large Oceanic Conveyor Belt
The Bengal Deep Sea Fan
5 Mid-ocean Ridges
5.1 Topography of the Ridges
5.2 Generation of Oceanic Lithosphere
5.3 Rocks of the Oceanic Crust
Pillow Lavas
Seismic Layers
5.4 Basalts of Mid-ocean Ridges
5.5 Fast and Slow Spreading Ridges and Rocks of the Lithospheric Mantle
5.6 Segmentation of Ridges by Faults
5.7 Graben Formation in the Atlantic
An Oceanic Crustal Profile in the Atlantic Ocean
5.8 Black and White Smokers
5.9 Ocean Floor Metamorphism
5.10 Chromite Deposits
5.11 Ophiolites
5.12 The Ophiolite of the Semail Nappe in Oman
5.13 Alpine–Mediterranean Ophiolites
Metamorphic Sole
6 Hot Spots
6.1 Hot Spots and Mid-Ocean Ridges
6.2 The Mysterious D″ Layer and the Dented Earth
Hot Spots of Pangaea
6.3 Hot Spot Tracks in the Ocean
A Guyot Evolves
6.4 Hot Spot Tracks on the Continent
6.5 Flood and Trap Basalts
6.6 The Azores—Hot, Cold or Wet Spot?
6.7 Hawaii—A Typical Oceanic Hot Spot
6.8 Iceland
6.9 Yellowstone
6.10 The Superplume Event in the Cretaceous
7 Subduction Zones, Island Arcs and Active Continental Margins
7.1 Structure of Plate Margin Systems with Subduction Zones
7.2 Spontaneous and Forced Subduction: Mariana- and Chile-Type Subduction
What is the Reason for the Arcuate Shape of Island Arcs?
7.3 Deep Sea Trenches as Sediment Traps
7.4 Accretionary Wedge and Outer Ridge
The Accretionary Wedge of the Sunda Arc
7.5 Subduction Erosion Instead of Accretion
Mud Volcanoes
7.6 The Forearc Basin
7.7 Earthquakes and Benioff Zones
The Shigatse Flysch in Tibet
7.8 The Secret of Deep Earthquakes
7.9 High-Pressure or Subduction Metamorphism
Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Rocks
Rapid Burial, Rapid Uplift
7.10 Subduction-Related Magmatism—A Paradox?
7.11 Rocks of the Magmatic Zone
7.12 Zonation of Magmas in Space and Time
7.13 Explosive Stratovolcanoes as Indicators for Subduction Magmatism
Isotopic Signatures and the Influence of Continental Crust
7.14 Metamorphism in the Magmatic Belt
Paired Metamorphic Belts
7.15 Ore Deposits in the Magmatic Belt
7.16 The Backarc Basin
Splitting of Intra-Oceanic Island Arcs
7.17 Gravity and Heat Flow
7.18 Subduction and Collision
8 Transform Faults
8.1 Oceanic Transform Faults
8.2 Fracture Zones in the Ocean Floor
8.3 Continental Transform Faults
8.4 San Andreas—The Dreaded Transform Fault of California
8.5 The North Anatolian Fault in Asia Minor and the Alpine Fault in New Zealand
9 Terranes
9.1 Documenting Terranes
9.2 Terranes in the North American Cordillera
9.3 Suspect Terranes in Mexico and Middle America
10 Early Precambrian Plate Tectonics
The Oldest Rocks and Minerals
10.1 Greenstone-Granite Belts
10.2 Granulite-Gneiss Belts
Komatiites
10.3 Towards an Archean Plate Tectonic Model
10.4 The Growth of Continents
10.5 Possible Younger Equivalents of Greenstone-Granite Belts
The Great Dike of Zimbabwe
11 Plate Tectonics and Mountain Building
11.1 Types of Active Continental Margins Within Orogenic Styles
11.2 Continent–Continent Collision
11.3 Uplift, Erosion, and Elevation of Mountains
11.4 Collapse and Crustal Escape
12 Old Orogens
12.1 2500–2000 Million Years Old Ophiolites
12.2 The Wopmay Orogen in Canada
12.3 The Grenville Orogenic Cycle and the Formation of the Supercontinent Rodinia
12.4 The Panafrican Orogeny and the Formation of Gondwana
12.5 The Caledonides—A Wilson Cycle Around the Iapetus Ocean
The Significance of Scotland and the Greek Mythology
12.6 The Variscides—A Broad Mountain Belt in Central Europe
A Variscan Suture in the Southern Black Forest
12.7 The Variscan Orogen in the Alps
12.8 Paleozoic Mountain Building in Eastern and Southern North America
How Many Orogenies?
13 Young Orogens—The Earth’s Loftiest Places
13.1 The Himalayas—A Mountain Range with Superlatives
13.2 Tectonic History of the Himalayas
Nanga Parbat and Namche Barwa Syntaxis
13.3 The Alps—An Untypical but Classic Orogen
13.4 Brief History of Alpine Evolution
Lateral Tectonic Extrusion in the Alps
13.5 The North American Cordillera—A Different Style of Orogen
13.6 Laramide Rocky Mountains—An Orogenic Mystery Solved
13.7 Epilog
Glossary
References
Index
