Abstract
THE analysis of triple junctions (points on the Earth where three lithospheric plates meet) has proved to be a powerful tool in deciphering the plate tectonic evolution of the Earth. In their classic paper on the evolution of triple junctions1, McKenzie and Morgan dismissed the possibility of stable quadruple junctions existing more than instantaneously. We show here that quadruple junctions can be stable according to the vector velocity stability criteria of McKenzie and Morgan.
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References
McKenzie, D. P. & Morgan, W. J. Nature 224, 125 (1969).
York, D. Nature 244, 341 (1973).
York, D. Can. J. Earth Sci. 12, 516 (1975).
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HEY, R., MlLHOLLAND, P. Stability of quadruple junctions. Nature 277, 201–202 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/277201a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/277201a0
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