Sierra Nevada plutonic cycle: Part II, tidal energy and a hypothesis for orogenic-epeirogenic periodicities

Bulletin of the Geological Society of America
By: , and 

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Abstract

The dissipative power of the solid earth tides is the order of 1019 ergs/sec, or a few percent of terrestrial heat flow. It is proposed that this energy is concentrated along oceanic ridge systems and in the asthenosphere by mechanisms of viscous dissipation involving shear melting. Tidal energy localizes and sustains sources of sea-floor spreading through the melting mechanism, convection and magmatic transfer. Components of this energy enter the continent as magmatic heat either where ridge type sources and continents interact or where lateral motions induce shear zones and viscous dissipation within the continent. Temporal maxima of igneous intrusion into continental crust and related epeirogenic oscillations, spaced at intervals of about 30 m.y., are explained in terms of periodic thermal instabilities in the process of shear melting in the mantle. That is, maxima in rates of magma production in the mantle are relieved by vertical magmatic transfer. This process is coupled with lateral motions of the continent in a way analogous to episodic creep episodes of much shorter period in motions of active fault systems. Calculated periodicities are found to be simultaneously compatible with (l) the Sierra Nevada intrusive epochs of Part I, (2) oscillations in the eustatic curve during the Mesozoic Era, (3) concepts of sea-floor spreading, and (4) the magnitude of tidal power. More profound epeirogenic oscillations, having periods of about 200 m.y., are induced by variations in proportioning of tidal energy dissipation between the solid earth and the epicontinental seas. Thus, the tidal deformations of the earth provide information that leads to a general dynamic theory where magmatism, orogency, epeirogeny, sea-floor spreading and continent migration are systematically interrelated.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Sierra Nevada plutonic cycle: Part II, tidal energy and a hypothesis for orogenic-epeirogenic periodicities
Series title Bulletin of the Geological Society of America
DOI 10.1130/0016-7606(1971)82[869:SNPCPI]2.0.CO;2
Volume 82
Issue 4
Year Published 1971
Language English
Publisher Geological Society of America
Description 27 p.
First page 869
Last page 895
Country United States
State California
Other Geospatial Sierra Nevada
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