New map of tectonic plates

The uniqueness of the Earth is that the crust of our planet is divided into many Tectonic platesWHO Has the ability to moveUnder inspiration Convection Mantle and major tectonic processes: Aggregation Ocean and subjugation. Whether Cutting the main plates Is now the consensus, although there are several models that, in detail, have many configuration variations at the level of the plate boundaries.

Tectonic plates, puzzle pieces with more blurred definitions

Because The crust of the earth The outline of the pieces can be compared to a riddle that is not yet properly understood. Accurate definition of plate boundaries is an important point to carry out precise reconstructions Movement Understand plates and how they came to be Alternately ignited and then disassembled, During the major tectonic cycles experienced by the Earth. In addition, plate boundaries always indicate areas of intense decay associated with tectonic or macromatic processes. They may be extensive – thus referring to a zone of marine augmentation -, abstract – in this case they may be associated with a sub-zone or mountain range – or pruning. A common example of the latter case is the San Andreas Fault in the United States, which is prone to major earthquakes.

Knowing in detail the characteristics of these different plate boundaries and precisely defining the expansion of the erosion zone is essential to assessing which earthly people living in these regions are at risk.

The new knowledge was finally integrated into tectonic maps

So the study was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia Construction Three new world maps: the structure of tectonic plates, the structure of major geographical provinces, and the structure of mountain ranges (recent or ancient). it is a Database Very thorough and necessary to carry out many studies.

The diagram of tectonic plates has not been edited since 2003. Since then, however, many improvements have been made, especially within the definition of new microplates such as the Macquarie located south of Tasmania, but also the Capricorn microplate. Separates Indian and Australian plates. However, the best innovation is found on the west coast of North America, where the decay zone operating due to San Andreas and Queen Charlotte errors is magnified compared to previous models. It now stretches over 1,500 km.

The new maps link the large decay zone affecting Central Asia and piercing India into the interior of the Eurasian continent. This big conflict, this Origin of the Himalayan range And Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, affecting the largest part of Asia, which is subject to constant earthquakes.

Excellent integration of seismic and volcanic events

The results of the study have been published in the journal Earth-Science Reviews. By consolidating large amounts of data (GPSEarthquakes, fault lines, Contradictions Of Gravity And magnetic anomalies, geography, etc.), these new maps illustrate the distribution and appearance of 90% of earthquakes and 80% of volcanoes over the last two million years. In comparison, older models captured only 65% ​​of earthquakes.