From deep time to the future: unlocking the next generation of plate models

The South Atlantic played a key role in the formulation of plate tectonic theory, and plate modelling has come a long way since the very first computer-assisted reconstructions of this ocean basin in the 1960s. This basin remains an active area of exploration interest as well as an excellent case study to discuss the past, present and future of plate modelling and to reflect on the reasons why discrepancies still remain, decades later, between alternative models reconstructing its geological history.

Today, high-resolution studies featuring multiple closely spaced static reconstructions give the opportunity to determine plate motions and their changes through time in more detail than ever before. They act as the foundation stones for many modern-day interpretations and simulations, providing context for regional geological and tectonic studies, and constraints for predictions of past climates, depositional environments, the evolution of stress regimes and, ultimately, the location of natural resources. Defining accurate sets of rotations that describe plate motion, as well as quantifying the uncertainties in them, is thus increasingly important.

As well as becoming more sophisticated, modelling techniques have also somewhat diversified in recent years. This is well illustrated by the fact that, for any one region on the planet, it is relatively easy to find alternative (and often irreconcilable) plate reconstructions built either on the basis of different data, different methodologies, or both. This prompts the question “how does one choose the right plate model” (and is there even such a thing as the “right” plate model). Focusing on the South Atlantic basin and using recently released version 6.0 of the Neftex plate model, I will discuss how unlocking the next generation of plate models requires implementing a global approach anchored on the principles of geodynamics.