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PlateTectonic FlipBook v.2

Data · September 2015

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14196.35205

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This   "flipbook",   which   illustrates   the   spreading  isochrons  (Seton  et  al.,  2012)  
plate   tectonic   development   of   the   were  used  to  constrain  the  longitudinal  
continents  and  ocean  basins  during  the   position   of   the   continents   back   to    
past   750   million   years,   was   assembled   ~200   million   years.     Plate   tectonic  
to  commemorate  the  scientific  career  of   reconstructions   older   than   200   million  
Professor   Rob   van   der   Voo.       The   years   are   necessarily   more   speculative  
flipbook   consists   of   34   plate   tectonic   and  were  derived  by  combining  diverse  
reconstructions   that   map   the   past   lines   of   evidence   from   the   tectonic  
location   of   subduction   zones   (barbed   histories   of   the   continents   (e.g.,   timing  
lines),  mid-­‐ocean  ridges,  (dashed  lines),   of   continent-­‐continent   collisions   or  
and   collision   zones   (marked   by   x's).   ages   of   rifting),   the   distribution   of  
The   tectonic   reconstructions   are   based   paleoclimatic   indicators   (i.e   coals,  
on   the   global   plate   tectonic   model   tillites,   salt   deposits,   and   bauxites,   see  
developed  by  the  PALEOMAP  Project.         Boucot  et  al.,  2013),  and  in  some  cases,  
the   biogeographic   affinities   of   fossil  
The   latitudinal   orientation   of   the  
faunas   and   floras   (Lees   et   al.,   2002,  
continents   is   derived   largely   from  
Fortey  and  Cocks,  2003).    
paleomagnetic   data   collected   by  
Professor   van   der   Voo   (van   der   Voo,   Though   a   diverse   data   set   has   been  
1993).       Hot   spots   tracks   and   sea   floor   used   to   produce   these   reconstructions,  
this  data,  in  itself,  was  not  enough  to  do   slab   or   laterally   pushed   by   a   mature  
the  job.    So  much  time  has  passed,  and   ridge  system.  
so   little   direct   evidence   remains,   that  
In   this   booklet,   the   evolving   plate  
guidance  must  also  be  sought  from  the  
boundaries   have   been   drawn   to   follow  
"Rules  of  Plate  Tectonics".  
this   maxim.     It   is   also   important   to   note  
The   Rules   of   Plate   Tectonics   are   that   plate   tectonics   is   a   "catastrophic"  
intuitive.     They   state   that   the   Earth’s   system.     Though   "slow   and   steady"   is  
tectonic   plates   do   not   move   randomly,   the  general  rule,  a  major  plate  tectonic  
but   rather   evolve   in   a   manner   that   is   reorganization   takes   place   every   50   –  
consistent   with   the   forces   that   drive   100   million   years.   These   "plate   tectonic  
them.    The  principal  driving  forces  are:   catastrophes"   most   often   occur   when  
slab   pull,   ridge   push   and   trench   entire    mid-­‐ocean  ridges  are  subducted  
rollback.     Understanding   how   these   or   when   major   continents   collide.   (For  
forces   work   provides   important   a   more   complete   listing   of   the   "Rules   of  
insights  into  how  plate  boundaries  will   Plate   Tectonics",   the   reader   is   referred  
evolve   through   time.     Simply   said,   to   Scotese   (2014).   Plate   tectonic  
plates  will  only  move  if  they  are  pulled   reorganizations   have   played   an  
back   into   the   mantle   by   a   subducting   important   role   in   shaping   the   rock  
record.  
The   first   "continental   drift"   flipbook   Time  Scale  
was   published   as   an   undergraduate  
The   age   given   next   to   each   map  
research   project   (Scotese,   1974;  
represents  age  in  millions  of  years  (Ogg  
1975a,b,c).   Subsequent   editions   have  
et  al.,  2008).  
followed   (1976a,b;   1978;   1979;   1980;      
1990,   1991,   1997,   2004).   A   more   0        Modern  World  
complete   description   of   the   data   and   20  Ma    Early  Miocene  
information   that   was   used   to   produce  
this   flipbook   can   be   found   in   Scotese   40  Ma    late  Middle  Eocene  
(2004).     These   maps   could   not   have   60  Ma    Paleocene  
been   produced   without   the   GPlates  
plate   tectonic   modeling   software   and   80  Ma    Late  Cretaceous  -­‐  Campanian  
the   plate   tectonic   data   sets   published   100  Ma    Early  Cretaceous  -­‐  late  Albian  
by   Dietmar   Müller   and   his   team   at  
Earthbytes.   120  Ma    Early  Cretaceous  -­‐  early  Aptian  
Special   thanks   to   Maggie   Geiger,   Robert   140  Ma    Early  Cretaceous  -­‐  Berriasian  
Scotese,   and   Jonathan   Scotese   for   their   160  Ma    Late  Jurassic  -­‐  Oxfordian  
help  assembling  this  flipbook.  
180  Ma    Early  Jurassic  -­‐  Toarcian  
 
200  Ma    Triassic/Jurassic  boundary   480  Ma    Early  Ordovician  
220  Ma    Late  Triassic  -­‐  Carnian   500  Ma    Late  Cambrian  
240  Ma    Middle  Triassic  -­‐  Anisian   520  Ma    Middle  Cambrian  
260  Ma    Middle  Permian  -­‐  Capitanian   540  Ma    Cambrian-­‐Precambrian  
280  Ma    Early  Permian  -­‐  Artinskian   560  Ma    Neoproterozoic  -­‐  lt.  Ediacaran  
300  Ma    Late  Pennsylvanian   600  Ma    Neoporterozoic  -­‐  m.  Ediacaran  
320  Ma    Late  Mississippian   630  Ma    Neoproterozoic  -­‐  e.  Ediacaran  
340  Ma    Middle  Mississippian   660  Ma    Neoproterozoic  -­‐  e.  Ediacaran  
360  Ma    Devono-­‐Carboniferous   690  Ma    Neoproterozoic  -­‐  lt.  Cryogenian  
380  Ma    Late  Devonian  -­‐  Frasnian   720  Ma    m.  Cryogenian  
400  Ma    Early  Devonian  -­‐  Emsian   750  Ma    m.  Cryogenian  
420  Ma    Late  Silurian  -­‐  Ludlow    
440  Ma    Early  Silurian  -­‐  Llandovery    
460  Ma    Middle  Ordovician    
References  Cited   Ogg,   J.,   Ogg,   G.,   and   Gradstein,   F.M.,   2008.  
The  Concise  Geologic  Time  Scale,  Cambridge  
  University  Press,  177  p.    
Boucot,  A.J.,  Chen  Xu,  and  Scotese,  C.R,  2013.   Scotese,   C.R.   1974.   First   Flip   Book   Images  
Phanerozoic   Paleoclimate:   An   Atlas   of   (from  35mm  film  from  University  of  Illinois,  
Lithologic   Indicators   of   Climate,   SEPM   PLATO  System),  Unpublished.  
Concepts   in   Sedimentology   and  
Paleontology,  No.  11,  478  pp.   Scotese,   C.R.,   and   Baker,   D.W.,   1975a.  
Continental   drift   reconstructions   and  
Fortey,   R.A.,   and   Cocks,   L.R.M.,   2003.     animation,   Journal   of   Geological   Education,  
Palaeontological   evidence   bearing   on   global   23:  167-­‐171.  
Ordovician   -­‐   Silurian   continental  
reconstructions,   Earth-­‐Science   Reviews,   v.   Scotese,   C.R.,   1975b.     Continental   Drift   Flip  
61,  pp.  245-­‐307.   Book,   1stedition.Chicago,   Illinois.   (single  
page  version  
Lees,   D.,   Fortey,   R.A.,   and   Cocks,   L.R.M.,  
2002.   Quantifying   paleogeography   using   Scotese,   C.R.,   1975c.     Continental   Drift   Flip  
biogeography:  a  test  case  for  the  Ordovician   Book,   1st   edition.   Chicago,   Illinois.   (double  
and   Silurian   of   Avalonia   based   on   page  version)  
brachiopods   and   trilobites,   Paleobiology   v.   Scotese,   C.R.,   1976a.   Continental   Drift   “Flip  
28,    pp.  263-­‐279.   Book”,    edition  1.5,  Department  of  Geological  
Sciences,  University  of  Illinois.    
Scotese,  C.R.,  1976b.  A  continental  drift  “flip   Scotese,   C.R.,   1991.   Continental   Drift   Flip  
book",  Computers  &  Geosciences,  2:113-­‐116.   Book,   4th   edition,   PALEOMAP   Project,  
Arlington,  TX,  49  pp.  
Scotese,   C.R.,   and   Ziegler,   A.M.,   1978.  
Paleozoic   continental   drift   reconstructions   Scotese,   C.R.,   1997.     Continental   Drift   Flip  
and  animation,  American  Geophysical  Union,   Book,   7th   edition,   PALEOMAP   Project,  
1978   Spring   Annual   Meeting,   Eos,   v.   59.   Department   of   Geology,   University   of   Texas  
Issue  4,  p.  263.   at  Arlington,  Texas,  80  pp.  
Scotese,   C.R.,   1979.   Continental   Drift   (flip   Scotese,   C.R.,   2004.     A   continental   drift  
book),  2nd  edition.   flipbook,   Journal   of   Geology,   v.   112,   issue   6,    
p.  729-­‐741.  
Scotese,   C.R.,   Snelson,   S.S.,   and   Ross,   W.C.,  
1980.   A   computer   animation   of   continental   Scotese,   C.R.,   2014.   Plate   Tectonics   Driving  
drift,   J.   Geomag.   Geoelectr.,   32:   suppl.   III,   61-­‐ Mechanisms   Some   Simple   Rules   that   Explain  
70.   Why  the  Plates  Move  the  Way  They  Do,  
Scotese,   C.R.,   1990.   Atlas   of   Phanerozoic   https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
Plate   Tectonic   Reconstructions,   PALEOMAP   264825668.  
Progress   01-­‐1090a,   Department   of   Geology,  
Seton,  M.,  Müller,  R.D.,  Zahirovic,  S.,  Gaina,  C.,  
University   of   Texas   at   Arlington,   Texas,   57  
Torsvik,   T.,   Shepard,   G.,   Talsma,   A.,   Gurnis,  
pp.  
M.,   Turner,   M.,   Maus,   S.,   and   Chandler,   M.,  
2012.   Global   continental   and   ocean   basin  
reconstructions  since  200  Ma,  Earth-­‐Science    
Reviews,  v.  113,  p.  212-­‐270.  
 
Van   der   Voo,     R.,   1993.   Paleomagnetism   of  
 
the   Atlantic,   Tethys,   and   Iapetus   Oceans,  
Cambridge  University  Press,  411  p.    
   
   
Please  cite  this  work  as:    
Scotese,   C.R.,   2015.   Plate   Tectonics   Flipbook,    
Van   der   Voo   Retirement   Symposium,  August  
26  -­‐27,  Ann  Arbor,  MI.    

   

   

   

   

   

   
  
 
 
 
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