Olivine and pyroxene mineral grains in a dunite nodule. The upper mantle is thought to be composed of rock like this.

A perspective on revolutions, revisions, rights, and responsibilities in the geosciences

Revised October 9, 2024

A current view of plate tectonics (lithospheric kinematics) six decades after the revolution

Resources

Presentation Files

• Presentation file in keynote: CroninProjects.org/Oct2024/Revolution1/2-Revolution1-Tectonics-20241005.key (178 MB)

• Presentation file in Adobe Acrobat pdf: CroninProjects.org/Oct2024/Revolution1/2-Revolution1-Tectonics-20241005.pdf (78 MB)

• Presentation file in powerpoint: CroninProjects.org/Oct2024/Revolution1/2-Revolution1-Tectonics-20241005.pptx (169 MB)

• Partial script in Adobe Acrobat pdf: CroninProjects.org/Oct2024/Revolution1/2-Revolution1-Script-20241005.pdf (215 KB)

Working-draft textbook used in Vince Cronin's plate kinematics courses: A primer on the kinematics of the lithosphere and continental crust

All of the original content in the documents directly accessible via this web page, including the content of the draft textbook, is © 2021 by Vincent S. Cronin

The draft textbook is available via https://CroninProjects.org/Vince/PlateKinematics/KinematicsPrimer/

Some Important Papers from First-Gen Plate Tectonics

1. Hill, M.L., and Dibblee, T.W., Jr., 1953, San Andreas, Garlock and Big Pine Faults, California: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 64, p. 443-458.
2. Hess, H.H., 1962, History of ocean basins, in Engel, A.E.J., James, H.L., and Leonard, B.F., editors, Petrological studies: A volume in honor of A.F. Buddington, p. 599-620.
3. Wilson, J.T., 1962, Cabot fault: an Appalachian equivalent of the San Andreas and Great Glen faults and some implications for continental displacement: Nature, v. 198, p. 925-929.
4. Wilson, J.T., 1963a, Hypothesis of Earth's behavior: Nature, v. 198, p. 925-929.
5. Wilson, J.T., 1963b, Continental drift: Scientific American, v. 208, p. 86-100.
6. Wilson, J.T., 1965a, Evidence from ocean islands suggesting movement in the Earth, in Blackett, P.M.S., Bullard, E.C., and Runcorn, S.K., [editors], A symposium on continental drift: Philosophical Transactions, Royal Society of London, series A., v. 258, p. 145-167.
7. Wilson, J.T., 1965b, A new class of faults and their bearing on continental drift: Nature, v. 207, p. 343-347.
8. Bullard, E.C., Everett, J.E., and Smith, A.G., 1965, The fit of the continents around the Atlantic, in Blackett, P.M.S., Bullard, E.C., and Runcorn, S.K., [editors], A symposium on continental drift: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London, series A, v. 258, p. 41-51.
   Compare this with Moulin, M., Aslanian, D., and Unternehr, P., 2010, A new starting point for the South and Equatorial Atlantic Ocean: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 98, p. 1-37, doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.08.001
9. Le Pichon, X., 1991, Introduction to the publication of the extended outline of Jason Morgan's April 17, 1967 American Geophysical Union paper on "Rises, trenches, great faults and crustal blocks," in Hilde, T.W.C., and Carlson, R.L., [editors], Proceedings of the 1987 Geodynamics Symposium: Tectonophysics, v. 187, p. 1-22
10. Morgan, W.J., 1968, Rises, trenches, great faults, and crustal blocks: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 73, p. 1959-1982.
11. McKenzie, D.P., and Parker, R.L., 1967, The north Pacific -- An example of tectonics on a sphere: Nature, v. 216, p. 1276-1280.
12. Le Pichon, X., 1968, Sea-floor spreading and continental drift: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 73, p. 3661-3697.
13. Le Pichon, X., 1970, Correction to paper by Xavier Le Pichon "Sea-floor spreading and continental drift": Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 75, p. 2793.
14. Heirtzler, J.R., Dickson, G.O., Herron, E.M., Pitman, W.C., III, and Le Pichon, X., 1968, Marine magnetic anomalies, geomagnetic field reversals, and motions of the ocean floor and continents: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 73, no. 6, p. 2119-2136.
15. Isacks, B., Oliver, J., and Sykes, L.R., 1968, Seismology and the new global tectonics: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 73, p. 5855-5899.
16. McKenzie, D., and Sclater, J.G., 1971, The evolution of the Indian Ocean since the Late Cretaceous: Geophysical Journal, Royal Astronomical Society, v. 25, p. 437-528.
17. Chase, C.G., 1972, The n-plate problem of plate tectonics: Geophysical Journal, Royal Astronomical Society, v. 29, p. 117-122.

Overviews, compilations and textbooks of tectonics and whole-Earth structure

• Anderson, D.L., 2007, New theory of the Earth: Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 384 p., ISBN 0-521-84959-4.
• Bird, J.M., editor, 1980, Plate tectonics [second enlarged edition]: Washington, D.C., American Geophysical Union, 986 p.
• Condie, K.C., 2005, Earth as an evolving planetary system: Amsterdam, Elsevier, 447 p., ISBN 0-12-088392-9.
• Cox, A., editor, 1973, Plate tectonics and geomagnetic reversals: San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Company, 702 p.
• Cox, A., and Hart, R.B., 1986, Plate tectonics -- how it works: Palo Alto, California, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 392 p., ISBN 0-86542-313-X.
• Frische, W., Meschede, M, and Blakey, R., 2011, Plate tectonics, continental drift and mountain building: Heidelberg, Springer, 212 p., ISBN 978-3-540-6503-5.
• Kearey, P., Klepeis, K.A., and Vine, F.J., 2009, Global tectonics [3rd edition]: West Sussex, UK, Wiley-Blackwell, 482 p., ISBN 978-1-4051-0777-8.
• Le Pichon, X., Francheteau, J., and Bonnin, J., 1973, Plate tectonics: Amsterdam, Elsevier, Developments in Geotectonics 6, 300 p., ISBN 0-444-41094-5.
• Moores, E.M., and Twiss, R.J., 1995, Tectonics: New York, W.H. Freeman and Company, 415 p., ISBN 0-7167-2437-5.
• Searle, R., 2013, Mid-ocean ridges: Cambridge University Press, 318 p., ISBN 978-1-107-01752-8.

Some references concerning the early history of plate tectonics and continental drift.

• Earth Intitute, 2020, Marie Tharp's adventures in mapping the seafloor, in her own words: Columbia Climate School, https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/07/24/marie-tharp-connecting-dots/
• Everett, J.E., and Smith, A.G., 2008, Genesis of a geophysical icon: the Bullard, Everett and Smith reconsruction of the circum-Atlantic continents: Earth Sciences History, v. 27, issue 1, 11 p.
• Glen, W., 1982, The road to Jaramillo -- Critical years of the revolution in Earth science: Stanford, California, Stanford University Press, 459 p., ISBN 0-8047-1119-4.
• Oresks, N., 1999, The rejection of continental drift — Theory and method in American Earth science: New York & Oxford, Oxford University Press, 420 p., ISBN 0-19-511733-6.
• Oreskes, N., editor, 2001, Plate tectonics, an insider's history of the modern theory of the Earth: Boulder, Colorado, Westview Press, 424 p., ISBN 0-8133-3981-2.
• Sullivan, W., 1991, Continents in motion -- the new Earth debate [second edition]: New York, American Institute of Physics, 430 p., ISBN 0-88318-704-3.
• Takeuchi, H., Uyeda, S., and Kanamori, H., 1970, Debate about the Earth -- Approach to geophysics through analysis of continental drift [revised edition]: San Francisco, Freeman Cooper & Company, 281 p.
• Uyeda, S., 1978, The new view of the Earth: San Francisco, California, W.H. Freeman and Company, 217 p., ISBN 0-7167-0282-7.
• Wood, R.M., 1985, The dark side of the Earth: London, Allen & Unwin, 246 p., ISBN 0-04-550048-7.

Reference List

• Altamimi, Z., Sillard, P., and Boucher, C., 2002, ITRF2000 -- A new release of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame for earth science applications: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 107, no. B10, p. 2214, doi:10.1029/2001JB000561.
• Ampferer, O., and Hammer, W., 1911, Geologischer Querschnitt durch die Ostalpen vom Allgau zum Gardsee: Jahrbuche Geologische Reichsanstalt, v. 61, nos. 3-4, p. 531-709.
• Amstutz, A., 1951, Sur l'evolution des structures alpines: Geneva, Archives des sciences, v. 4, no. 5, p. 323-329.
• Anderson, D.L., 2007, New theory of the Earth: Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 384 p., ISBN 0-521-84959-4.
• Argus, D.F. and Gordon, R.G., 1991, No-net-rotation model of current plate velocities incorporating plate motion model NUVEL-1: Geophysical Research Letters v. 18, 2039-2042.
• Argus, D. F., Gordon, R.G., and DeMets, C., 2011, Geologically current motion of 56 plates relative to the no-net-rotation reference frame: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, v. 12, p. Q11001, doi:10.1029/2011GC003751
• Argus, D.F., Gordon, R.G., DeMets, C., and Stein, S., 1989, Closure of the Africa-Eurasia-North America plate motion circuit and tectonics of the Gloria fault: Journal of Geophysical Research, v, 94, no. B5, p. 5585-5602.
• Atwater, T., 1970, Implications of plate tectonics for the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of western North America: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 81, p. 3513-3536.
• Atwater, T., and Stock, J., 1998, Pacific-North America plate tectonics of the Neogene southwestern United States -- an update, in Ernst, W.G., and Nelson, C.A., [editors], Integrated Earth and environmental evolution of the southwestern United States, the Clarence A. Hall, Jr., Volume: Geological Society of America, p. 393-420.
• Bawden, G.W., Thatcher, W., Stein, R.S., Hudnut, K.W., and Peltzer, G., 2001, Tectonic contraction across Los Angeles after removal of groundwater pumping effects: Nature, v. 412, p. 812-815.
• Becker, T. W., 2008, Azimuthal seismic anisotropy constrains net rotation of the lithosphere: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 35, p. L05303, doi:10.1029/2007GL032928.
• Benioff, H., 1949, The fault origin of oceanic deeps: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 60, p. 1837-1866.
• Bergersen, D.D., 1995, Cretaceous hotspot tracks through the Marshall Islands, in Haggerty, J.A., Premoli Silva, I., Rack, F., and McNutt, M.K., eds., Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, v. 144, p. 605-613.
• Bird, J.M., editor, 1980, Plate tectonics [second enlarged edition]: Washington, D.C., American Geophysical Union, 986 p.
• Bird, P., 2003, An updated digital model of plate boundaries: Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, v. 4, no. 3, p. 1027, doi:10.1029/2001GC000252, available via http://peterbird.name/publications/2003_PB2002/2003_PB2002.htm .
• Bird, P., Kreemer, C., and Holt, W.E., 2010, A long-term forecast of shallow seismicity based on the global strain rate map: Seismological Research Letters, v. 81, no. 2, p. 184-194.
• Blewitt, G., 2009, GPS and space-based geodetic methods, in Herring, T., Editor, Treatise on Geophysics, Geodesy: Amsterdam, Elsevier, p. 351-390.
• Blewitt, G., Hammond, W.C., and Kreemer, C., 2009, Geodetic observation of contemporary deformation in the northern Walker Lane: 1. Semipermanent GPS strategy, in Oldow, J.S., and Cashman, P.H., eds., Late Cenozoic structure and evolutino of the Great Basin-Sierra Nevada Transition: Geological Society of America Special Paper 447, p. 1-15, doi: 10.1130/2009.2447(01).
• Blewitt, G., Hammond, W.C., Kreemer, C., Plag, H-.P., Stein, S., Okal, E., 2009, GPS for real-time earthquake source determination and tsunami warning systems: Journal of Geodesy, v. 83, p. 335-343, doi: 10.1007/s00190-008-0262-5.
• Blewitt, G., Kreemer, C., Hammond, W.C., and Goldfarb, J.M., 2013, Terrestrial reference frame NA12 for crustal deformation studies in North America: Journal of Geodynamics, v. 72, p. 11-24.
• Bullard, E.C., Everett, J.E., and Smith, A.G., 1965, The fit of the continents around the Atlantic, in Blackett, P.M.S., Bullard, E.C., and Runcorn, S.K., [editors], A symposium on continental drift: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London, series A, v. 258, p. 41-51.
• Burgmann, R., and Dresen, G., 2008, Rheology of the lower crust and upper mantle: Evidence from rock mechanics, geodesy, and field observations: Annual Reviews of Earth and Planetary Science, v. 36, p. 531-567.
• Butterworth, N., Talsma, A., Müller, R., Seton (nee Sdrolias), M., Bunge, H., Schuberth, B., Shephard, G., Heine, C., 2014, Geological, tomographic, kinematic and geodynamic constraints on the dynamics of sinking slabs: Journal of Geodynamics, v. 73, p. 1-13.
• Calais, E., DeMets, C., and Nocquet, J.-M., 2003, Evidence for a post-3.16 Ma change in Nubia-Eurasia-North America plate motions? Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 216, p. 81-92.
• Cande, S.C., and Stegman, D.R., 2011, Indian and African plate motions driven by the push force of the Reunion head: Nature, v. 475, p. 47-52, doi: 10.1038/nature10174.
• Carey, S.W., 1976, The expanding Earth: Amsterdam, Elsevier, 488 p.
• Chase, C.G., 1972, The n-plate problem of plate tectonics: Geophysical Journal, Royal Astronomical Society, v. 29, p. 117-122.
• Chase, C.G., 1978, Plate kinematics: the Americas, East Africa, and the rest of the world: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 37, p. 355-368.
• Coats, R.R., 1962, Magma type and crustal structure in the Aleutian arc: American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Monograph Series, no. 6, p. 92-109.
• Collilieux, X., Altamimi, Z., Argus, D.F., Boucher, C., Dermanis, A., Haines, B.J., Herring, T.A., Kreemer, C.W., Lemoine, F.G., Ma, C., MacMillan, D.S., Makinen, J., Metivier, L., Ries, J., Teferle, F.N., and Wu, X., 2014, External evaluation of the terrestrial reference frame: Report of the task force of the IAG sub-commission 1.2, in Rizos, C., and Willis, P., eds., Earth on the Edge: Science for a Sustainable Planet: Berlin, Springer-Verlag, International Association of Geodesy Symposia, v. 139, doi 10.1007/978-3-642-37222-3_25
• Coltice, N., Seton (nee Sdrolias), M., Rolf, T., Müller, R., Tackley, P., 2013, Convergence in tectonic reconstructions and mantle convection models for significant fluctuations in seafloor spreading: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 383, p. 92-100.
• Condie, K.C., 2005, Earth as an evolving planetary system: Amsterdam, Elsevier, 447 p., ISBN 0-12-088392-9.
• Cox, A., editor, 1973, Plate tectonics and geomagnetic reversals: San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Company, 702 p.
• Cox, A., and Hart, R.B., 1986, Plate tectonics -- how it works: Palo Alto, California, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 392 p., ISBN 0-86542-313-X.
• Craig, T.J., Copley, A., and Jackson, J., 2014, A reassessment of outer-rise seismicity and its implications for the mechanics of oceanic lithosphere: Geophysical Journal International, v. 197, p. 63-89.
• Cronin, V.S., 1987, Cycloid kinematics of relative plate motion: Geology, v. 15, p. 1006-1009.
• Cronin, V.S., 1988a, Cycloid tectonics -- A kinematic model of finite relative plate motion: College Station, Texas, Ph.D. dissertation, Texas A&M University, 104 p.
• Cronin, V.S., 1988b, Cycloid tectonics: Fracture zones as flow lines of transform faults [abs.]: EOS (American Geophysical Union Transactions), v. 69, p. 1415.
• Cronin, V.S., 1991, The cycloid relative-motion model and the kinematics of transform faulting, in Hilde, T.W.C., and Carlson, R.L., [editors], Proceedings of the 1987 Geodynamics Symposium: Tectonophysics, v. 187, p. 215-249; corrections to publisher errors, 1991, Tectonophysics, v. 192, no. 3/4, p. 401.
• Cronin, V.S., 1992, Types and kinematic stability of triple junctions: Tectonophysics, v. 207, p. 287-301.
• Cronin, V.S., 1994, Instantaneous velocity of mid-ocean ridges: Tectonophysics, v. 230, p. 151-159.
• Cronin,V.S., 2012, Possible microplate generation at RRR triple junctions due to the non-circular finite motion of plates relative to each other: American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, December 2012, http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2012/eposters/eposter/t33g-2752/
• Cronin, V.S., Resor, P., Hammond, W., Kreemer, C., and Pratt-Sitaula, B., 2014, GPS, Strain, and Earthquakes module, GETSI Collection, accessible via https://serc.carleton.edu/getsi/teaching_materials/gps_strain/index.html (a curricular module with activities, background information, and strain calculator codes in Excel, Mathematica, and MatLab)
• Croon, M.B., Cande, S.C., and Stock, J.M., 2008, Revised Pacific-Antarctic plate motions and geophysics of the Menard Fracture Zone: Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, v. 9, no. 7, Q07001, doi: 1029/2008GC002019
• Cuffaro, M., Caputo, M., and Doglioni, C., 2008, Plate subrotations: Tectonics, v. 27, TC4007, doi: 10.1029/2007TC002182.
• Davis, G.A., Burchfiel, B.C., Case, J.E., and Viele, G.W., 1974, A defense of an "old global tectonics," in Kahle, C.F., Plate tectonics -- assessments and reassessments: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Memoir 23, p. 16-23.
• Debiche, M.G., Cox, A., and Engebretson, D., 1987, The motion of allochthonous terranes across the North Pacific Basin: Geological Society of America Special Paper 207, 49 p.
• DeMets, C., 2001, A new estimate for present-day Cocos-Caribbean plate motion -- implications for slip along the Central American volcanic arc: Geophysical Research Letters v. 28, no. 21, p. 4043-4046.
• DeMets, C., Gordon, R.G., and Argus, D.F., 2010, Geologically current plate motions: Geophysical Journal International, v. 181, p. 1-80, doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04491.x.
• DeMets, C., Gordon, R.G., Argus, D.F., and Stein, S., 1990, Current plate motions: Geophysical Journal International, v. 101, p. 425-478.
• DeMets, C., Gordon, R.G., Argus, D.F., and Stein, S., 1994, Effect of recent revisions to the geomagnetic reversal time scale on estimates of current plate motions: Geophysical Research Letters v. 21, no. 20, p. 2191-2194.
• DeMets, C., Jansma, P.E., Mattioli, G.S., Dixon, T.H., Farina, F., Bilham, R., Calais, E., and Mann, P., 2000, GPS geodetic constraints on Caribbean-North America plate motion, Geophysical Research Letters v. 27, p. 437-440.
• Dietz, R.S., 1961, Continent and ocean basin evolution by spreading of the sea floor: Nature, v. 190, (June 3), p. 854-857.
• Engebretson, D.C., Cox, A., and Gordon, R.G., 1984, Relative motions between oceanic plates of the Pacific Basin: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 89, no. B12, p. 10,291-10,310.
• Engebretson, D.C., Cox, A., and Gordon, R.G., 1985, Relative motions between oceanic and continental plates in the Pacific Basin: Geological Society of America Special Paper 20g, 59 p..
• Flesch, L.M., and Kreemer, C., 2010, Gravitational potential energy and regional stress and strain rate fields for continental plateaus: Examples from the central Andes and Colorado Plateau: Tectonophysics, v. 482, p. 182-192.
• Freed, A.M., Burgmann, R., Calais, E., and Freymueller, J., 2006, Implications of deformation following the 2002 Denali, Alaska, earthquake for postseismic relaxation processes and lithospheric rheology: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 111, B01201, doi:10.1029/2005JB003894.
• Girdler, R.W., 1985, Problems concerning the evolution of oceanic lithosphere in the northern Red Sea: Tectonophysics, v. 116, p. 109-122.
• Glen, W., 1982, The road to Jaramillo -- Critical years of the revolution in Earth science: Stanford, California, Stanford University Press, 459 p., ISBN 0-8047-1119-4.
• Greiner, B., 1999, Euler rotations in plate-tectonic reconstructions: Computers & Geosciences, v. 25, p. 209-216.
• Gripp, A.E., and Gordon, R.G., 1990, Current plate velocities relative to the hopspots incorporating the NUVEL-1 global plate motion model: Geophysical Research Letters v. 17, p. 1109-1112.
• Gripp, A.E., and Gordon, R.G., 2002, Young tracks of hotspots and current plate velocities: Geophysical Journal International, v. 150, p. 321-361.
• Haines, A.J., and Holt, W.E., 1993, A procedure for obtaining the complete horizontal motions within zones of distributed deformation from the inversion of strain rate data: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 98, no. B7, p. 12,057-12,082.
• Hammond, W.C., Blewitt, G., and Kreemer, C., 2014, Steady contemporary deformation of the central Basin and Range Province, western United States: Journal of Geophysical Research, Solid Earth, v. 119, p. 1-19, doi: 10.1002/2014JB011145.
• Hasterok, D., Halpin, J.A., Collins, A.S., Hand, M., Kreemer, C, Gard, M.G., and Glorie, S., 2022, New maps of global geological provinces and tectonic plates: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 231, 104069, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104069.
• Heezen, B.C., Tharp, M., and Ewing, M., 1959, The floors of the oceans, 1. The North Atlantic: Geological Society of America Special Paper 65, 122 p.
• Heine, C., Zoethout, J., Müller, R., 2013, Kinematics of the South Atlantic rift: Solid Earth, v. 4, no. 2, p. 215-253.
• Heirtzler, J.R., Dickson, G.O., Herron, E.M., Pitman, W.C., III, and Le Pichon, X., 1968, Marine magnetic anomalies, geomagnetic field reversals, and motions of the ocean floor and continents: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 73, no. 6, p. 2119-2136.
• Hess, H.H., 1962, History of ocean basins, in Engel, A.E.J., James, H.L., and Leonard, B.F., editors, Petrological studies: A volume in honor of A.F. Buddington, p. 599-620.
• Hill, M.L., and Dibblee, T.W., Jr., 1953, San Andreas, Garlock and Big Pine Faults, California: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 64, p. 443-458.
• Holt, W.E., Kreemer, C., Haines, A.J., Estey, L., Meertens, C., Blewitt, G., and Lavallee, D., 2005, Project helps constrain continental dynamics and seismic hazards: Eos Transactions, American Geophysical Union, v. 86, no. 41, p. 383, 387.
• Holt, W.E., and Shcherbenko, G., 2013, Toward a continuous monitoring of the horizontal displacement gradient tensor field in southern California using cGPS observations from Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO): Seismological Research Letters, v. 84, no. 3, p. 455-467, doi: 10.1785/0220130004.
• Hosseinpour, M., Müller, R., Williams, S., Whittaker, J., 2013, Full-fit reconstruction of the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay: Solid Earth, v. 4, no, 2, p. 461-479.
• Isacks, B., Oliver, J., and Sykes, L.R., 1968, Seismology and the new global tectonics: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 73, p. 5855-5899.
• Jackson, J., and McKenzie, D., 1988, The relationship between plate motions and seismic moment tensors, and the rates of active deformation in the Mediterranean and Middle East: Geophysical Journal, v. 93, p. 45-73.
• Janney, P.E., and Castillo, P.R., 2001, Geochemistry of the oldest Atlantic oceanic crust suggests mantle plume involvement in the early history of the central Atlantic Ocean: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 192, p. 291-302
• Kearey, P., Klepeis, K.A., and Vine, F.J., 2009, Global tectonics [3rd edition]: West Sussex, UK, Wiley-Blackwell, 482 p., ISBN 978-1-4051-0777-8.
• Kreemer, C., 2009, Absolute plate motions constrained by shear wave splitting orientations with implications for hot spot motions and mantle flow: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 114, p. B10405, doi: 10.1029/2009JB006416.
• Kreemer, C., Blewitt, G., and Bennett, R.A., 2010, Present-day motion and deformation of the Colorado Plateau: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 37, p. L10311, doi: 10.1029/2010GL043374.
• Kreemer, C., Blewitt, G., and Hammond, W.C., 2009, Geodetic constraints on contemporary deformation in the northern Walker Lane: 2. Velocity and strain rate tensor analysis, in Oldow, J.S., and Cashman, P.H., eds., Late Cenozoic structure and evolutino of the Great Basin-Sierra Nevada Transition: Geological Society of America Special Paper 447, p. 17-31, doi: 10.1130/2009.2447(01).
• Kreemer, C., Blewitt, G., and Hammond, W.C., 2010, Evidence for an active shear zone in southern Nevada linking the Wasatch fault to the Eastern California shear zone: Geology, v. 38, no. 5, p. 475-478, doi: 10.1130/G30477.1.
• Kreemer, C., Blewitt, G., Hammond, W.C., and Plag, H-.P., 2006, Global deformation from the great 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake observed by GPS: Implications for rupture process and global reference frame: Earth and Planetary Science Space, v. 58, p. 141-148.
• Kreemer, C., Blewitt, G., and Klein, E.C., 2014, A geodetic plate motion and Global Strain Rate Model: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, v. 15, p. 3849-3889, doi: 10.1002/2014GC005407.
• Kreemer, C., Haines, J., Holt, W.E., Blewitt, G., and Lavallee, 2000, On the determination of a global strain rate model: Earth Planets Space, v. 52, p. 765-770.
• Kreemer, C., and Hammond, W.C., 2007, Geodetic constraints on areal changes in the Pacific-North America plate boundary zone: What controls Basin and Range extension? Geology, v. 35, no. 10, p. 943-947., doi: 10.1130/G23868A.1
• Kreemer, C., Holt, W.E., and Haines, A.J., 2003, An integrated global model of present-day plate motions and plate boundary deformation, Geophysical Journal International, v. 154, p. 8-34.
• Kreemer, C., Lavallee, D.A., Blewitt, G., and Holt, W.E., 2006, On the stability of a geodetic no-net-rotation frame and its implication for the International Terrestrial Reference Frame: Geophysical Resarch Letters, v. 33, p. L17306, doi: 10.1029/2006GL027058.
• Landgrebe, T.C.W., and Müller, R.D., 2013, uncovering the relationship between subducting bathymetric ridges and volcanic chains with significant earthquakes using geophysical data mining: Computers and Geosciences, v. 56, p. 76-82.
• Le Pichon, X., 1968, Sea-floor spreading and continental drift: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 73, p. 3661-3697.
• Le Pichon, X., 1970, Correction to paper by Xavier Le Pichon "Sea-floor spreading and continental drift": Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 75, p. 2793.
• Le Pichon, X., 1991, Introduction to the publication of the extended outline of Jason Morgan's April 17, 1967 American Geophysical Union paper on "Rises, trenches, great faults and crustal blocks," in Hilde, T.W.C., and Carlson, R.L., [editors], Proceedings of the 1987 Geodynamics Symposium: Tectonophysics, v. 187, p. 1-22
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Other Resources

• Chris Scotese's PALEOMAP Project ( http://www.scotese.com ) has long provided excellent resources related to plate kinematics and the evolution of the plate system over time. His software, animations and illustrations have been used by many researchers and textbook authors, and in countless classrooms from grammar schools to graduate schools.
• Dietmar Müller and his research associates have been working to improve our knowledge and understanding of oceanic tectonics for decades. His GPlates software is a free/open-source application that includes a wealth of primary data. It can be accessed via http://www.gplates.org . Subscribing to the associated email list ( https://mailman.sydney.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/gplates-announce ) allows you to be notified of updates to the software. His group also has a quarterly newsletter ( http://www.earthbyte.org/Newsletter_index.html and an interactive potential field data reconstruction site ( http://portal.gplates.org ) that allows you to interactively reconstruct either gravity or magnetic raster data: http://portal.gplates.org/cesium/?view=VGG-R and http://portal.gplates.org/cesium/?view=EMAG2 .
• The syllabus to Vince Cronin's course on lithospheric kinematics, last taught in 2021, is accessible via https://croninprojects.org/Vince/PlateKinematics/KinematicsCourse/index.htm

If you have any questions or comments about this site or its contents, drop an email to Vince_Cronin(at)CroninProjects.org.