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Cracking of lithosphere north of the Galapagos triple junction

Publication ,  Journal Article
Schouten, H; Smith, DK; Montési, LGJ; Zhu, W; Klein, EM
Published in: Geology
May 1, 2008

The Galapagos triple junction is a ridge-ridge-ridge triple junction where the Cocos, Nazca, and Pacific plates meet around the Galapagos microplate. Directly north of the large scarps of the Cocos-Nazca Rift, a 250-km-long and 50-km-wide band of northwest-southeast-trending cracks with volcanics at their western ends crosscuts and blankets the north-south-trending abyssal hills of the East Pacific Rise. It appears that the roughly northeast-southwest extension of East Pacific Rise-generated seafloor has been accommodated by a succession of minor rifts that, during at least the past 4 m.y., had their triple junctions with the East Pacific Rise at distances of 50-100 km north of the tip of the propagating Cocos-Nazca Rift. We propose that the rift locations are controlled by stresses associated with the dominant Cocos-Nazca Rift, and scaled by the distance of its tip to the East Pacific Rise. We speculate that similar ephemeral rifts occurred south of the Cocos-Nazca Rift and were instrumental in the origin of the rotating Galapagos microplate ca. 1.5 Ma. © 2008 The Geological Society of America.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Geology

DOI

EISSN

0091-7613

ISSN

0091-7613

Publication Date

May 1, 2008

Volume

36

Issue

5

Start / End Page

339 / 342

Related Subject Headings

  • Geochemistry & Geophysics
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 04 Earth Sciences
 

Citation

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Schouten, H., Smith, D. K., Montési, L. G. J., Zhu, W., & Klein, E. M. (2008). Cracking of lithosphere north of the Galapagos triple junction. Geology, 36(5), 339–342. https://doi.org/10.1130/G24431A.1
Schouten, H., D. K. Smith, L. G. J. Montési, W. Zhu, and E. M. Klein. “Cracking of lithosphere north of the Galapagos triple junction.” Geology 36, no. 5 (May 1, 2008): 339–42. https://doi.org/10.1130/G24431A.1.
Schouten H, Smith DK, Montési LGJ, Zhu W, Klein EM. Cracking of lithosphere north of the Galapagos triple junction. Geology. 2008 May 1;36(5):339–42.
Schouten, H., et al. “Cracking of lithosphere north of the Galapagos triple junction.” Geology, vol. 36, no. 5, May 2008, pp. 339–42. Scopus, doi:10.1130/G24431A.1.
Schouten H, Smith DK, Montési LGJ, Zhu W, Klein EM. Cracking of lithosphere north of the Galapagos triple junction. Geology. 2008 May 1;36(5):339–342.

Published In

Geology

DOI

EISSN

0091-7613

ISSN

0091-7613

Publication Date

May 1, 2008

Volume

36

Issue

5

Start / End Page

339 / 342

Related Subject Headings

  • Geochemistry & Geophysics
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 04 Earth Sciences