Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • British Association Supplement
  • Published:

Applicability of Plate Tectonics to Pre-Mesozoic Time

Nature volume 244, pages 400–405 (1973)Cite this article

Plate tectonic theory has provided a synthesis to account for the geological development of the Earth's crust during the past 10% of its history. Doubts are now being expressed, however, about the applicability of this theory to the origin of some zones of deformed Precambrian rocks.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. McKenzie, D. P., and Parker, R. L., Nature, 216, 1276 (1967).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Morgan, W. J., J. geophys. Res., 73, 1959 (1968).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Le Pichon, X., J. geophys. Res., 73, 3661 (1968).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Isacks, B., Oliver, J., and Sykes, L. R., J. geophys. Res., 73, 5855 (1968).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Smith, A. G., Geol. Soc. Amer. Mem., 132, 23 (1972).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bullard, E. C., Everett, J. E., and Smith, A. G., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London, A, 258, 41 (1965).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Burke, K., and Whiteman, A. J., in Implications of Continental Drift to the Earth Sciences (edit. by Tarling, D. H., and Runcorn, S. K.), 2 (Academic Press, London, in the press, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Dewey, J. F., and Bird, J. M., J. geophys. Res., 75, 2625 (1970).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Dickinson, W. R., Science, N.Y., 174, 107 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Dickinson, W. R., Earth planet. Sci. Lett., 10, 165 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ziegler, A. M., J. Geol., 78, 445 (1970).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Organisms and Continents through Time, Spec. Pap. Palaeont. (edit. by Hughes, N. F.), 12 (1973).

  13. Geotimes, 17 (8) 18 (1972).

  14. Runcorn, S. K., Phil. Trans. R. Soc., A, 258, 228 (1965).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Dietz, R. S., and Holden, J. C., J. geophys. Res., 75, 4939 (1970).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Holmes, A., Principles of Physical Geology (Nelson, London, 1965).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Wilson, J. T., Nature, 211, 676 (1966).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. McKerrow, W. S., and Ziegler, A. M., Nature phys. Sci., 240, 92 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. McElhinny, M. W., and Briden, J. C., Earth planet. Sci. Lett., 10, 407 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Briden, J. C., Am. geophys. Un. fifty-second Annual Meeting, Washington (1971).

  21. Briden, J. C., quoted in Dunning, F. W., Scott. J. Geol., 8, 179 (1972).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Smith, A. G., Briden, J. C., and Drewry, G. E., Organisms and Continents through Time, Spec. Pap. Palaeont. (edit. by Hughes, N. F.), 12, 1 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Creer, K. M., in Implications of Continental Drift to the Earth Sciences (edit. by Tarling, D. H., and Runcorn, S. K.), 1, 47 (Academic Press, London, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Hamilton, W., Bull. geol. Soc. Amer., 81, 2553 (1970).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Dewey, J. F., Nature, 222, 124 (1969).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Briden, J. C., Morris, W. A., and Piper, J. D. A., Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc., 33 (in the press, 1973).

  27. Fitton, J. G., and Hughes, D. J., Earth planet. Sci. Lett., 8, 223 (1970).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Garson, M. S., and Plant, J., Nature phys. Sci., 242, 34 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. Suess, E., The Face of the Earth (trans. by Sollas, H. B. C.), 1 (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1904).

    Google Scholar 

  30. du Toit, A. L., Our Wandering Continents (Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, 1937).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Burne, R. V., Nature phys. Sci., 241, 129 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. Briden, J. C., Nature, 215, 1334 (1967).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. Burke, K., and Dewey, J. F., in African Geology (edit. by Dessauvagie, T. F. J., and Whiteman, A. J.), 583 (University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  34. Hurley, P. M., Earth planet. Sci. Lett., 15, 305 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Holmes, A., Proc. Eighteenth Int. Geol. Congr. London, 1948, 14, 254 (1951).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Kennedy, W. Q., Eighth Ann. Rep. Res. Inst. African Geol. Univ. Leeds, 48 (1964).

  37. Clifford, T. N., in Radiometrie Dating for Geologists (edit. by Hamilton, E. I. and Farquhar, R. M.), 299 (Interscience, 1968).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Shackleton, R. M., in Time and Place in Orogeny (edit. by Kent, P. E., et al.) Geol. Soc. London, Spec. Publ., 3, 1 (1969).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Anheusser, C. R., Mason, R., Viljoen, M. J., and Viljoen, R. P., Bull geol. Soc. Am., 80, 2175 (1969).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Piper, J. D. A., Briden, J. C., and Lomax, K., Nature (in the press).

  41. Brock, A., and Piper, J. D. A., Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc., 28, 139 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  42. Spall, H. R., Nature, 236, 219 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  43. Piper, J. D. A., Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. (in the press, 1973).

  44. Irving, E., Park, J. K., and Roy, J. L., Nature, 236, 344 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  45. Piper, J. D. A., in Implications of Continental Drift to the Earth Sciences (edit. by Tarling, D. H., and Runcorn, S. K.), 1, 19 (Academic Press, London, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Morgan, W. J., Bull. Am. Ass. Petrol. Geologists, 56, 203 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  47. Burke, K., and Wilson, J. T., Nature, 239, 387 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds,

    J. C. BRIDEN

Authors
  1. J. C. BRIDEN
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

BRIDEN, J. Applicability of Plate Tectonics to Pre-Mesozoic Time. Nature 244, 400–405 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/244400a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/244400a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing