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Counter-rotating microplates at the Galapagos triple junction

Nature volume 433, pages 855–858 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

An ‘incipient’ spreading centre east of (and orthogonal to) the East Pacific Rise at 2° 40′ N has been identified as forming a portion of the northern boundary of the Galapagos microplate1,2. This spreading centre was described as a slowly diverging, westward propagating rift, tapering towards the East Pacific Rise. Here we present evidence that the ‘incipient rift’ has also rifted towards the east and opens anticlockwise about a pivot at its eastern end. The ‘incipient rift’ then bounds a second microplate, north of the clockwise-rotating Galapagos microplate. The Galapagos triple junction region, in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, thus consists of two counter-rotating microplates partly separated by the Hess Deep rift. Our kinematic solution for microplate motion relative to the major plates indicates that the two counter-rotating microplates may be treated as rigid blocks driven by drag on the microplates' edges3.

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Figure 1: Bathymetric and magnetic data collected in the vicinity of the IR.
Figure 2: SeaBeam amplitude (side-scan) results and photographic images of the IR.
Figure 3: Tectonic configuration of the Galapagos triple junction and kinematic solution of the instantaneous motion of a dual microplate system.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the captain and crew of the R/V Melville (Vancouver Leg 01). The Incipient Rift Team included E. Klein, D. Smith, R. Cheney, R. Comer, C. Donnelly, P. Gregg, H. Hanna, G. Kurras, J. McGuire, M. Pollock, M. Rudnicki, E. Williams, C. Williams and W. Zhu. We thank G. Christeson for collecting additional bathymetry and magnetic data for us, and R. Searle and D. Wilson for comments that improved the manuscript. This work was supported by the US National Science Foundation.

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  1. Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 27708-0227, USA

    Emily M. Klein

  2. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, USA

    Deborah K. Smith, Clare M. Williams & Hans Schouten

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  1. Emily M. Klein
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Correspondence to Emily M. Klein.

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Klein, E., Smith, D., Williams, C. et al. Counter-rotating microplates at the Galapagos triple junction. Nature 433, 855–858 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03262

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