Shofi,

Kita pernah diskusikan plume tectonics di IAGI-net sekitar April tahun 2000. 
Saya melanjutkannya dengan menulis artikel di bawah ini (waktu itu atas 
permintaan Pak Herman Darman) dan ini telah dimuat di Berita IAGI pada tahun 
yang sama.

Barangkali ada gunanya, sebagai tambahan alamat website dari Pak Rovicky, 
terutama untuk menyoroti perbedaan/persamaannya dengan teori2 tektonik 
sebelumnya.

Salam,
awang
(maaf saya kirim ke milis, siapa tahu ada yang memerlukannya juga)

"From Geosynclinal to Superplume : 
The Rises and Falls of Tectonic Theories"


By

Awang H. Satyana
(Exploration BPMIGAS)


A month ago, during the second week of April 2000, a technical discussion on 
some aspects of tectonics enlivened the IAGI-net. Commenced by a comparison 
between plume tectonics and undation theory, the discussion widened to 
eventually covered the great tectonic theories ever born in the science of 
geology. This brief writing summarizes the discussion and is enriched by some 
reviews of the tectonic theories, their rises and falls, and the last status we 
have today.

We will see that the rises and falls of the tectonic theories actually show the 
battle between the two schools of thought : fixistic vs. mobilistic. This 
debate-of-centuries has been started since the middle of the 19th  century, 
during the 20th  century, and interestingly shows a tranquility by the end of 
the 20th  century. Let us begin with the reviews.

The Beginning : Origin of Mountains

The greatest ranges of mountains encircling the globe such as the 
Alps-Himalayan, Appalachians, Urals, and the Rockies, have caused admiration 
and questions among the early geologists or earth scientists. Backed by the 
geological knowledge that had developed since the 18th  century, they know that 
the mountains were formed by the crumpling of the Earth's crust, but how ?

Begun by the speculations of the origin of the mountains, the great tectonic 
theories in geology were born. Now, we witness that the tectonic theories are 
so well developed that they not only can explain the origin of the mountains, 
but also the origin of other large-scale structural features on Earth : 
continents, ocean basins, oceanic ridges, oceanic trenches, island arcs, high 
plateaus, and others. Geologists now also use the tectonic theories to search 
for oil and gas and mineral deposits.

Let us now refresh our minds with the great tectonic theories in geology : 
geosynclinal theory, continental drift, undation theory, plate tectonics, and 
superplume tectonics. There are other tectonic theories, but they can be 
included in such a way into the mentioned theories.

Geosynclinal Theory

The geosynclinal idea came from James Hall (1859), the great American geologist 
in his age, who noted that the folded and locally metamorphosed Paleozoic 
strata in the Appalachians are much thicker than correlative but less deformed 
strata beneath the Allegheny Plateau to the west. As both sequences bear fossil 
evidence of deposition in shallow waters, Hall concluded that the site of the 
folded mountain range, whose fold axes parallel its length, had been first an 
elongate belt in which subsidence and coordinate sedimentation had been more 
rapid than in adjoining tracts. This place of sedimentation was called as 
geosyncline. 

The theory holds that elongate belts of deep subsidence and related thick 
sedimentation called geosynclines are the precursors of later mountain ranges 
in which the exceptionally thick geosynclinal strata are exposed by grand 
uplift following or accompanying thorough folding and metamorphism. 

The Hall's idea were corrected and developed by James Dana (1873), a great 
American geologist, who noted that the crumpling of the geosynclinal prism 
postdated the downwarping, not contemporaneously as initially noted by Hall. 
Dana distinguished three successive phases of geosynclinal cycle : 
sedimentation, tectogenesis, and orogenesis. Metamorphism and magmatism was 
incidental to the scheme and dependent on local conditions during downbuckling.

The   geosyncinal theory were continually developed up to the mid of 20th 
century (Kay, 1951). The provinciality of American ideas based on the 
Appalachian region was challenged by European ideas based on the Alpine (Haug, 
1900; Stille, 1924, Haarmann, 1930). A reconciliation between the two 
viewpoints   resulted in terminologies of miogeosynclinal and eugeosynclinal 
sequences were entered into the single body of geosynclinal concepts. So, the 
geosynclinal theory lasted for more than 100 years since the time of Hall until 
the new global tectonic theories came into being in 1960's. Before that, most 
syntheses of geologic history rely heavily upon the geosynclinal theory.

The fixistic view of geosynclinal gained a fierce challenge when Alfred Wegener 
published his theory in 1912 about the movement (mobilistic view) of continents 
on the globe. The movements of continents have caused collision that eventually 
formed mountains.

Continental Drift Theory

Soon after the first reliable world maps were made, scientists noted that the 
continents, particularly Africa and South America, would fit together like a 
jigzaw puzzle if they could be moved. One of the first men to give the idea 
serious study was a Frenchman named Snider-Pellegrini in 1858 who showed how 
the continents looked before separation. The concept was not considered 
seriously until 1908 when an American geologist Frank Taylor pointed out a 
number of geologic facts that could be explained by a continental drift.

The ideas were best explained by Alfred Wegener, an Austrian meteorologist  but 
likes geology as a hobby. Wegener based his theory not only on the shape of 
continents but also on geologic evidence such as similarities in the fossils 
found in Brazil and Africa. He drew a series of maps showing three stages in 
the drift process and called the original large landmass Pangaea (meaning all 
lands). Wegener believed that the continents, composed of light granitic rock, 
somehow plowed through the denser basalts of the ocean floor, driven by forces 
related to the Earth's centrifugal rotation and tidal attraction of the Sun and 
Moon.

Wegener thought that the Alpine-Himalayan chain was formed by collision of the 
Eurasia with Africa and India and that the Andes and Rockies were piled up by 
friction as the Americas were dragged through the viscous substratum. This idea 
seemed so bizarre to the fixistic geosynclinal theory during Wegener's days. 
Most geologists and geophysicists rejected Wegener's theories, although many 
scientific observation supporting continental drift were known in Wegener's 
time. However, a few noted scholars, considered seriously the theory, 
especially Arthur Holmes of England   who considered hypothetical mechanism of 
driving forces for continental drift in his textbook Principles of Physical 
Geology (1944), and a South African, Alex Du Toit, who compared the landforms 
and fossils of Africa and South America and further expounded the theory in his 
book Our Wandering Continents (1937).

The continental drift theory provided the base where the more global and 
integrated theory called as plate tectonics theory developed in 1960's. Before 
that, we will see the advent of other tectonic theory called as undation 
theory, a theory that was initially inspired by fixistic model of geosynclinal 
theory, but actually also accommodated the mobilistic view of the continental 
drift theory and also this theory relates with the recent tectonic theory of 
superplume.

Undation Theory

Inspired by geodynamic views of Stille (1924) and Haarmann (1930) in 
geosynclinal view, Reinout van Bemmelen, a Dutch geologist ever working for a 
long time in Indonesia, developed his theory called as undation theory (1931). 
This theory was mainly based on and supported by van Bemmelen's works on the  
geology of Indonesia. It can be stated that there are two periods of the 
development of this theory. The first period was from 1930's to 1950's, when 
the fixistic view was more predominating, and the second period was in 1970's 
when van Bemmelen modified his theory to make a reconciliation between fixistic 
and mobilistic views. The following is van Bemmelen's modified undation theory.

The undation theory gives a synthesis of the terrestrial evolution, uniting 
geological, geophysical, and geochemical data into a comprehensive model. It 
accepts the major views of the new global tectonics (plate tectonics) and gives 
full attention to the geochemical evolution of our planet. Note that this is 
fully integrated in superplume tectonic theory developed in 1990's. The 
undation theory started with the periodic convection circuits of masses in the 
solid earth  which will cause differential vertical movements at the surface 
called as undations. The vertical movements of undations produce potential 
gravitative energy with fields of internal stresses. This leads eventually to 
lateral movements of masses, called gravity tectonics.   

Based on the tectonic responses, van Bemmelen divided the undations into five 
classes. Mega-undations of global dimension result from ascending currents of 
lower mantle which produce upwarps of the outer spheres. Their ascent is 
volumetrically compensated by subsidence of adjacent geosynclinal zones. The 
related stress fields may result in continental drift and the sea-floor 
spreading. Geo-undations of a smaller scale result from upwellings of 
upper-mantle matter and give rise centres of diastrophisms. Compression of 
marginal trenches into nappes such as of the Pennine and the Alpine are 
responses of the geo-undation. Meso-undations are represented by the mountain 
and island-arcs which are pushed up from the foredeep-trenches. Minor-undations 
are connected with still more restricted diapirism of gneissic domes and 
batholiths. The resulting gravity tectonics may lead to intra-crustal 
mushrooming. Local-undations are caused by laccolithic pockets of magma and 
their gravity tectonic responses are such as mushrooming, outflows of mud, 
salt, lavas, and melanges or collapses of volcanoes.

The latest development of the undation theory is the insight that there is a 
causative relation between the major gravity anomalies of the globe and the 
global geodynamic processes. This leads to a more rheological interpretation of 
geodynamic processes. However, this theory has never been as widely exposed as 
the plate tectonics theory, so that not much people know about the undation 
theory.

Plate Tectonics Theory

"A revolution in earth sciences"  has been advocated by most earth scientists 
when the plate tectonics theory developed during the 1960s and gained its 
integrated concept in early 1970's.  The plate tectonic theory is a 
comprehensive descriptive model for the kinematic pattern of current tectonic 
movements on the globes. The theory braids the concept of continental drift, 
sea-floor spreading, and oceanic transform faults.

Although continental drift was proposed 50 years earlier, the theory of plate 
tectonics was not developed until the early 1960s when marine geology surveys 
had provided enough data of the topography of the ocean floors and their 
magnetic and seismic characteristics. Many earth scientists were involved to 
the birth of this global tectonic theory. Their works can be grouped as works 
within the fields of ocean floor topographic mapping, geomagnetics, seismology, 
and general geology (mountain-building, magmatic evolution, heat flow, and 
others). Among leading scientists are : Bill Menard, Bob Dietz, Bruce Heezen, 
Maurice Ewing, and Mary Tharp (topography of ocean floor); Harry Hess and 
Xavier Le Pichon (sea-floor spreading); Tuzo Wilson (transform fault); Runcorn, 
Allan Cox and Brent Dalrymple (geomagnetic polarity); Fred Vine and Drummond 
Matthews (magnetic anomaly on oceanic ridges), Dan McKenzie and Jason Morgan 
(geometry of plate); Bryan Isacks, Jack Oliver, and Lynn Sykes (seismology); 
John Dewey and John Bird (mountain building); and James Gilluly (magmatic 
evolution). The classical papers leading to plate tectonic theories were 
compiled and edited by Allan Cox under the title of Plate Tectonics and 
Geomagnetic Reversals.

Plate tectonics theory offers a unified explanation for most features of the 
Earth. The Earth's surface is segmented into intact, semirigid slabs or plates 
of lithosphere, move about with respect to one another by riding upon a less 
rigid undermass called the asthenosphere. Junctures between plates coincide 
with the world's active seismic belts. The three types of junctures are : 
divergent-in which plates move away from one another, convergent-in which 
plates move toward one another, and simple shear (transform)-in which plates 
slide past one another.  Major Earth features can be explained by plate 
tectonics. For example, mountain ranges take place at convergent boundaries of 
plates. 

Plate tectonic theory has been so widely exposed, even to public people through 
 educational films in TV. Today, plate tectonic theory is so developed  and has 
been applied for the sake of  both science and economy. Terrane concept, 
developed in late 1980s, is still in mobilistic view of plate tectonic theory. 
Three reference books on the geology of Indonesia (Warren Hamilton, 1979 : 
Tectonics of the Indonesian Region; Charles Hutchison, 1989 : Geological 
Evolution of South-east Asia, and   Hall and Blundell (eds), 1996 : Tectonic 
Evolution of Southeast Asia) were written in plate tectonic view.

The last  theory discussed in this writing is superplume tectonic theory which 
integrates all tectonic theories and is applied to planetary scale. This theory 
is still in its development stage.

Superplume Tectonics

Plume tectonics developed mainly by Japanese earth scientists since 1994 
(mainly S. Maruyama, M. Kumazawa, S. Kawakami, and Y. Fukao) was attempted to 
reach an understanding of the principle of the dynamic Earth's behavior, 
specifically the relationship between surface environmental change and the 
episodic-dynamic output of heat and materials from the Earth's interior. 

The circulation of matter in mantle (plume) has been known since the days of 
Arthur Holmes wrote his textbook in 1944. He proposed that the circulation was 
a driving force for continental drift. During the development of plate tectonic 
theory, Earth's mantle plume was also considered to relate with a possible 
origin of the Hawaiian islands and hotspots (Wilson, 1963) and that the deep 
mantle convection was related with plate motions (Morgan, 1972). In addition to 
this, during the 1980s, material evolution in mantle were much discussed by A. 
E. Ringwood in Australia and Don Anderson in America based on experimental 
petrology. Based on these, and backed by new technologies on seismic tomography 
of Earth interior, ultra-high pressure experiments, computer simulation, and 
comparative planetary sciences, Maruyama et al. developed their theory of 
superplume tectonics or simply called plume tectonics since 1994.

Plume tectonics based its theory on the global-scale material circulation. 
Oceanic plates subducts into the deeper mantle from the trench, and becomes 
stagnant at the 660 km thermal boundary layer. The successive accumulation of 
cold material on the boundary layer eventually collapse to cause a sudden 
avalanche and downflow (downwelling coldplume) into the lower mantle. These 
mass undergoes dissolution of metalic iron and partial melting within the lower 
mantle. With time, this would be differentiated to form the structure which 
finally uprises to become a rising hot superplume. New mantle materials exit  
from the oceanic ridges or continental rifts are expression of mantle plumes. A 
hotspot is the surface manifestation of an upwelling mantle plume below 
lithospheric plate. The mass circulation in the mantle affects the structure of 
the Earth's core through downgoing and upgoing material circulation in 
whirlpool movement. Hierarchy of activity of superplume has been established : 
normal period, pulse period, break-up period of supercontinent, and mantle 
overturn. Maruyama et al (1994) has mapped at a global-scale presences of 
upwelling or downwelling plumes.

Plume tectonics is still in development stages. However, major  structural 
features such as sedimentary basin, continental plateau, trench, and ridges are 
now known related with underlying mantle plume. Plume tectonics has also been 
known to relate with the formation of diamond-bearing kimberlitic pipes.


Epilogue

We have seen the rises and falls, debates and reconciliations of major tectonic 
theories in the science of geology for the last 150 years. Geosynclinal theory 
has been ceased by most earth scientists, undation theory has not gained much 
responses due to lack of publication, plate tectonics has been accepted by most 
earth scientists today, and plume tectonics is actually beyond the ground of 
the debate since this theory is complementary to other theories.  Man's quest 
on his own planet is actually a never-ending story.


Basic Readings

W.R. Dickinson (1971) : Plate Tectonics in Geologic History
A. Cox (1973) : Plate Tectonics and Geomagnetic Reversals
R.W. van Bemmelen (1977) : Undation Theory
W.K. Hamblin (1978) : The Earth's Dynamic Systems
S. Maruyama (1999) : Global-Scale Material Circulation in the Earth's Interior

correspondence to author : [EMAIL PROTECTED]




-----Original Message-----
From: Rovicky Dwi Putrohari [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2006 7:43 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [iagi-net-l] Plume Theory

coba kesini :)
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=mozclient&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&q=plume+tectonic+theory

rdp

On 7/14/06, Shofiyuddin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Ada yang bisa memberi pencerahan tentang Plume Tectonic Theory? boleh juga
> kalo ada softcopy papernya dan juga link websitenya.
>
> Terima kasih sebelumnya.
>
> Salam
>
> Shofi
>
>


-- 
http://rovicky.wordpress.com/

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