The future of Earth's oceans: consequences of subduction initiation in the Atlantic and implications for supercontinent formation

J.C. Duarte; W.P. Schellart; F.M. Rosas

doi:10.1017/S0016756816000716

The future of Earth's oceans: consequences of subduction initiation in the Atlantic and implications for supercontinent formation

J.C. Duarte
, W.P. Schellart
, F.M. Rosas

Geology and Geochemistry

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

Subduction initiation is a cornerstone in the edifice of plate tectonics. It marks the turning point of the Earth's Wilson cycles and ultimately the supercycles as well. In this paper, we explore the consequences of subduction zone invasion in the Atlantic Ocean, following recent discoveries at the SW Iberia margin. We discuss a buoyancy argument based on the premise that old oceanic lithosphere is unstable for supporting large basins, implying that it must be removed in subduction zones. As a consequence, we propose a new conceptual model in which both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans close simultaneously, leading to the termination of the present Earth's supercycle and to the formation of a new supercontinent, which we name Aurica. Our new conceptual model also provides insights into supercontinent formation and destruction (supercycles) proposed for past geological times (e.g. Pangaea, Rodinia, Columbia, Kenorland).

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	45-58
Number of pages	14
Journal	Geological Magazine
Volume	155
Issue number	1
Early online date	3 Oct 2016
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756816000716
Publication status	Published - Jan 2018

Funding

Pedro Terrinha, with whom J. Duarte started discussions on tectonic arcs many years ago, is warmly thanked for great discussions over the years. Nicolas Riel, António Ribeiro, David Boutelier and Rui Dias are thanked for enthusiastic discussions on most of the subjects discussed here. We would also like to thank Dietmar Muller and Kara Matthews from the GPlates community (http://www.gplates.org/) for encouraging us using GPlates and giving us some hints. Publication supported by FCT through project UID/GEO/50019/2013-Instituto Dom Luiz. The authors also acknowledge financial support from Discovery Grant DP110103387 from the Australian Research Council awarded to WPS. JD acknowledges the financial support from the Australian Research Council through DECRA (Discovery Early Career Researcher Award) Grant DE150100326. WPS acknowledges financial support from the Australian Research Council through Future Fellowship FT110100560. FMR thanks the project Pest-OE/CTE/LA0019/2011-12. Finally, we would like to thank the editor Mark Allen for handling the paper and for the encouraging comments, as well as Taras Gerya and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive reviews.

Funders	Funder number
Australian Research Council	Pest-OE/CTE/LA0019/2011-12, DE150100326, FT110100560
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia	UID/GEO/50019/2013-Instituto, DP110103387

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 14 Life Below Water

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The future of Earth's oceans: consequences of subduction initiation in the Atlantic and implications for supercontinent formation

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