An open-source software environment for visualizing and refining plate tectonic reconstructions using high-resolution geological and geophysical data sets

[摘要] We describe a powerful method to explore spatio-temporal relationshipswithin geological and geophysical data sets by analyzing the data within the contextof tectonic reconstructions. GPlates is part of a new generation of plate reconstructionsoftware that incorporates functionality familiar from GIS software with the addeddimension of geological time. Here we use GPlates to reconstruct geological terranes,geophysical grids, and paleomagnetic data within alternative tectonic models ofthe assembly of Western Australia and the configuration of Rodinia. With the abilityto rapidly visualize a diverse range of geological and geophysical constraints withindifferent reconstructions, users can easily investigate the implications of differenttectonic models for reconciling a variety of observations and make more informedchoices between different models and data.

[学科分类] 地质学

[关键词] Fire safety;fatal fires;smoke alarms