Tag: tectonic plates
Accretion prism: what is it?
A prism ofaccretion represents a structure of tectonic origin linked to the accumulation of sediments at the level of a subduction. Scaling and sediment build-up In subduction zones, the oceanic…
How a continent opened up influences the location of future subduction zones
A new study provides a better understanding of where and how subduction zones are initiated, a major stage in the Wilson cycle. It appears that the tectonic and magmatic heritage…
How were the Pyrenees formed?
Along with the Alps, the Pyrenees represent the second chain of collision marking the French landscape. The formation of this great mountain range results from a complex and polyphase tectonic…
What will the climate be like on the Aurica supercontinent in 250 million years?
300 million years ago, there was only one supercontinent on Earth called Pangea. However, in 200 million years, a new supercontinent could form again thanks to plate tectonics. What would…
What drives plate tectonics?
The outer part of the Earth is divided into different rigid units called lithospheric plates. These plates have the ability to move above the asthenosphere. They can thus fragment, move…
Transforming Rift: what is it?
Transforming faults are vertical faults on the scale of the lithosphere, which allow the “transformation”, that is to say the accommodation, of the movement from lithospheric plates. In this sense,…
Gneiss: what is it?
The gneiss is a metamorphic rock composing the continental crust. It mainly contains quartz, micas, feldspars plagioclases and sometimes alkaline feldspars. The color of the rock is variable, but often…
This map betrays the magnetic signatures of the telluric forces that shaped the Earth
The map of the Earth’s magnetic field has been enriched with a new model making it possible to better understand the thermal state of the Earth’s crust, to perceive the…
Hercynian chain: what is it?
The Hercynian range, also called the Variscan range, is a large mountain range that has now disappeared. His training began in Devonian, over 400 million years ago, when the continents…