Engineering topics

Gordon, Richard G.

Publications and source records attributed to Gordon, Richard G..

10 records

NASA NTRS1994

Effect of Recent Revisions to the Geomagnetic Reversal Time Scale on Estimates of Current Plate Motions

Recent revisions to the geomagnetic time scale indicate that global plate motion model NUVEL-1 should be modified for comparison with rates of motion estimated from space geodetic measurements. The optimal recalibration, which is a compromise among slightly different calibrations appropriate for slow, medium, and fast spreading rates is to multiply NUVEL-1 angular velocities by a multiplicative constant, alpha, of 0.9562. We refer to this simply recalibrated plate motion model as NUVEL-1A, and give correspondingly revised tables of angular velocities and uncertainties. Prior work has shown that space geodetic rates are slower on average than those calculated from NUVEL-1 by 6±1%. This average discrepancy is reduced to less that 2% when space geodetic rates are instead compared to NUVEL-1A.

geodetic↗

NASA NTRS1992

Global tectonics and space geodesy

Much of the success of plate tectonics can be attributed to the near rigidity of tectonic plates and the availability of data that describe the rates and directions of motion across narrow plate boundaries of about 1 to 60 kilometers. Nonetheless, many plate boundaries in both continental and oceanic lithosphere are not narrow but are hundreds to thousands of kilometers wide. Wide plate boundary zones cover approximately 15 percent of earth's surface area. Space geodesy, which includes very long baseline radio interferometry, satellite laser ranging, and the global positioning system, provides the accurate long-distance measurements needed to estimate the present motion across and within wide plate boundary zones. Space geodetic data show that plate velocities averaged over years are remarkably similar to velocities avaraged over millions of years.

Gordon, Richard G.↗

NASA NTRS1991

No-net-rotation model of current plate velocities incorporating plate motion model NUVEL-1

NNR-NUVEL1 is presented which is a model of plate velocities relative to the unique reference frame defined by requiring no-net-rotation of the lithosphere while constraining relative plate velocities to equal those in global plate motion model NUVEL-1 (DeMets et al., 1990). In NNR-NUVEL1, the Pacific plate rotates in a right-handed sense relative to the no-net-rotation reference frame at 0.67 deg/m.y. about 63 deg S, 107 deg E. At Hawaii the Pacific plate moves relative to the no-net-rotation reference frame at 70 mm/yr, which is 25 mm/yr slower than the Pacific plate moves relative to the hotspots. Differences between NNR-NUVEL1 and HS2-NUVEL1 are described. The no-net-rotation reference frame differs significantly from the hotspot reference frame. If the difference between reference frames is caused by motion of the hotspots relative to a mean-mantle reference frame, then hotspots beneath the Pacific plate move with coherent motion towards the east-southeast. Alternatively, the difference between reference frames can show that the uniform drag, no-net-torque reference frame, which is kinematically equivalent to the no-net-rotation reference frame, is based on a dynamically incorrect premise.

Argus, Donald F.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Pacific-North American plate motion from very long baseline interferometry compared with motion inferred from magnetic anomalies, transform faults, and earthquake slip vectors

Geodetic VLBI measurements were used to test whether the Pacific-North American plate velocity averaged over several years of direct observation (1984-1987) equals that averaged over millions of years. It was also tested whether this velocity parallels the San Andreas fault, transform faults and earthquake slip vectors in the Gulf of California, and earthquake slip vectors along the Queen Charlotte fault, along the Alaskan peninsula, and along the Kamchatkan peninsula. The VLBI data provide an estimate of the direction of plate motion that is independent of estimates from fault azimuths and earthquake slip vectors. The Euler vector determined from VLBI was found to be nearly identical to the Euler vector of plate motion model NUVEL-1, which is based on the trends of transform faults, earthquake slip vectors, and spreading rates from marine magnetic anomalies that average motion since 3 Ma. The velocity between the Pacific and North American plates averaged over the past several years equals or nearly equals its velocity averaged over the past several million years, the difference along their boundary nowhere exceeding 4 + or - 7 mm/yr.

Argus, Donald F.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Current plate velocities relative to the hotspots incorporating the NUVEL-1 global plate motion model

The NUVEL-1 model of current global relative plate velocities is presently incorporated into HS2-NUVEL1, a global model for plate velocities relative to hotspots; the results thus obtained are compared with those of the AM1-2 model of hotspot-relative plate velocities. While there are places in which plate velocities relative to the hotspots differ between HS2-NUVEL1 and AM1-2 by tens of degrees in direction and 15 mm/yr in speed, the hotspot Euler vectors differ with 95 percent confidence only for the Arabian and Indian plates. Plates attached to subducting slabs move faster relative to the hotspots than do plates without slabs.

Gripp, Alice E.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Closure of the Africa-Eurasia-North America plate motion circuit and tectonics of the Gloria fault

The current motions of the African, Eurasian, and North American plates are examined. The problems addressed include whether there is resolvable motion of a Spitsbergen microplate, the direction of motion between the African and North American plates, whether the Gloria fault is an active transform fault, and the implications of plate circuit closures for rates of intraplate deformation. Marine geophysical data and magnetic profiles are used to construct a model which predicts about 4 mm/yr slip across the Azores-Gibraltar Ridge, and west-northwest convergence near Gibraltar. The analyzed data are consistent with a rigid plate model with the Gloria fault being a transform fault.

Argus, Donald F.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Intraplate deformation and closure of the Australia-Antarctica-Africa plate circuit

Plate motion data along the Southeast, Southwest, and Central Indian ridges have been reduced to 67 spreading rates, 38 transform fault azimuths, and 135 earthquake slip vectors in order to study the current motion between the Australian, Antarctic, and African plates and to investigate whether this plate circuit obeys closure. Magnetic profiles are modeled to determine rates consistently over a 3-m.y. time-averaging interval, and the new rates are shown to differ from published rates by as much as 5 mm/yr. The results indicate that Indian Ocean plate circuit nonclosure and the deformation that it suggests are much smaller than previously supposed, and support a model in which the significant deformation occurs in a diffuse plate boundary along the equatorial Indian Ocean between the Central Indian Ridge and the Sumatra Trench.

Demets, Charles↗

NASA NTRS1988

A test of alternative Caribbean plate relative motion models

The new NUVEL-1 data set for global relative plate motions is used here to discriminate between the two prevailing models for Caribbean plate motion. One model, by Jordan (1975), assumes that North America-Caribbean motion is reflected by the spreading rate inferred from magnetic anomalies at the Cayman Spreading Center and the azimuths of nearby transforms. The other model, by Sykes et al. (1982), uses rates and azimuths inferred from the geometry of the Lesser Antilles Wadati-Benioff zone. Overall, it is found that the data fit the Jordan geometry better, that the data used in global plate motion models are more suitable than rates and azimuths inferred from the geometry of the Wadati-Benioff zone for determining relative motions, and that incorporation of all relevant plate boundaries is essential.

Stein, Seth↗

NASA NTRS1987

A revised estimate of Pacific-North America motion and implications for Western North America plate boundary zone tectonics

Marine magnetic profiles from the Gulf of Californa are studied in order to revise the estimate of Pacific-North America motion. It is found that since 3 Ma spreading has averaged 48 mm/yr, consistent with a new global plate motion model derived without any data. The present data suggest that strike-slip motion on faults west of the San Andreas is less than previously thought, reducing the San Andreas discrepancy with geodetic, seismological, and other geologic observations.

Demets, Charles↗

NASA NTRS1987

Statistical tests for closure of plate motion circuits

Two methods, one based on a chi-square test and the second on an F-ratio test, of testing for the plate motion circuit closures are described and evaluated. The chi-square test is used to evaluate goodness of fit, and it is assumed that the assigned errors are accurate estimates of the true errors in the data. The F-ratio test is used to compare variances of distributions, and it is assumed that the relative values of assigned error are accurate. The two methods are applied to the data of Minster and Jordan (1978) on the motion of the three plates that meet at the Galapagos Triple Junction, and the motion of the three plates that meet at the Indian Ocean Triple Junction. It is noted that the F-ratio plate circuit closure test is more useful than the chi-square test for identifying systematic misfits in data because the chi-square test overestimates the errors of plate motion data.

Gordon, Richard G.↗