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The Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists (SIPES) presents:

Beyond Plate Tectonics

Date: Thursday, March 21st, 2024
Time: Wine served at 11:00 am  |  Lunch & Lecture starts @ 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Venue: Petroleum Club of Houston, 1201 Louisiana St, Houston, TX 77002

Presenter:

John Dvorak - USGS

Plate tectonics has been a highly successful theory, but it is incomplete. It is mainly a theory about the origin and evolution of ocean basins and says much less about the continents. It also says little about the deep Earth. Today a more coherent view of the Earth and how it works is being pieced together, one that has come from imaging the Earth’s interior through seismic tomography.

Sometimes referred to as the “Burkian Earth,” named for Kevin Burke (1929-2018) who worked at the University of Houston, the new view of the planet envisions an interior dominated by the slow and unsteady downward movement of subducted ocean plates. Eventually these plates descend all the way down to the core-mantle boundary, causing and upward flow of mantle material has rising plumes, the more active ones rising all the way to the surface and producing hotspot volcanism.

Tomography has also revealed the importance of delamination in explaining surface features. Delamination is the separation and sinking of the lower part of a cold, rigid tectonic plate into a less dense and viscous mantle. That downward movement allows hot material of the upper mantle to well up and gives rise to such features as the Colorado Plateau. Delamination is also the main process for the raising of mountain masses, such as major sections of the Andes, the Apennines and the Alps. It can account for the upward rejuvenation of the crust and mantle that has given rise to the recent uplift of sections of the Appalachians and such features as the Blue Ridge Escarpment.

Just as plate tectonics revolutionized our understanding of the Earth fifty years ago, the new view now being developed will again dramatically change our view of how the planet works, including where to search for mineral resources and large oil reservoirs.

John Dvorak began his scientific career studying volcanoes. He received his doctorate in planetary science and geophysics from the California Institute of Technology in 1979. After working for sixteen years studying eruptions for the U.S. Geological Survey in Hawaii, Indonesia and Italy, his interest shifted to astronomy. For twenty years he operated a telescope at Mauna Kea for the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i.  His most recent book is How the Mountains Grew: A New Geological History of North America (Pegasus Books, 2021).

Date: Thursday, March 21st, 2024
Time: Wine served at 11:00 am  |  Lunch & Lecture starts @ 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Venue: Petroleum Club of Houston, 1201 Louisiana St, Houston, TX 77002


*** 2024 Season Luncheon Pass Holders PLEASE RSVP at bottom of event page along with registration. Cost will be $0 but it lets us know you're coming. ***

**Early-bird registration ends Monday March 18th at NOON.
Late / walk-in registration tickets will be available for $65 for both members and general admission**

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