[1] A global set of present plate boundaries on the Earth is presented in digital form. Most come from sources in the literature. A few boundaries are newly interpreted from topography, volcanism, and/or seismicity, taking into account relative plate velocities from magnetic anomalies, moment tensor solutions, and/or geodesy. In addition to the 14 large plates whose motion was described by the NUVEL-1A poles (Africa, Antarctica, Arabia, Australia, Caribbean, Cocos, Eurasia, India, Juan de Fuca, Nazca, North America, Pacific, Philippine Sea, South America), model PB2002 includes 38 small plates (Okhotsk, Amur, Yangtze, Okinawa, Sunda, Burma, Molucca Sea, Banda Sea, Timor, Birds Head, Maoke, Caroline, Mariana, North Bismarck, Manus, South Bismarck, Solomon Sea, Woodlark, New Hebrides, Conway Reef, Balmoral Reef, Futuna, Niuafo'ou, Tonga, Kermadec, Rivera, Galapagos, Easter, Juan Fernandez, Panama, North Andes, Altiplano, Shetland, Scotia, Sandwich, Aegean Sea, Anatolia, Somalia), for a total of 52 plates. No attempt is made to divide the Alps-Persia-Tibet mountain belt, the Philippine Islands, the Peruvian Andes, the Sierras Pampeanas, or the California-Nevada zone of dextral transtension into plates; instead, they are designated as “orogens” in which this plate model is not expected to be accurate. The cumulative-number/area distribution for this model follows a power law for plates with areas between 0.002 and 1 steradian. Departure from this scaling at the small-plate end suggests that future work is very likely to define more very small plates within the orogens. The model is presented in four digital files: a set of plate boundary segments; a set of plate outlines; a set of outlines of the orogens; and a table of characteristics of each digitization step along plate boundaries, including estimated relative velocity vector and classification into one of 7 types (continental convergence zone, continental transform fault, continental rift, oceanic spreading ridge, oceanic transform fault, oceanic convergent boundary, subduction zone). Total length, mean velocity, and total rate of area production/destruction are computed for each class; the global rate of area production and destruction is 0.108 m2/s, which is higher than in previous models because of the incorporation of back-arc spreading.

An updated digital model of plate boundaries

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2019GC008515

The Generic Mapping Tools Version 6

We present and interpret Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of crustal motions for the period 1988–1997 at 189 sites extending east-west from the Caucasus mountains to the Adriatic Sea and north-south from the southern edge of the Eurasian plate to the northern edge of the African plate. Sites on the northern Arabian platform move 18±2 mm/yr at N25°±5°W relative to Eurasia, less than the NUVEL-1A circuit closure rate (25±1 mm/yr at N21°±7°W). Preliminary motion estimates (1994–1997) for stations located in Egypt on the northeastern part of Africa show northward motion at 5–6±2 mm/yr, also slower than NUVEL-IA estimates (10±1 mm/yr at N2°±4°E). Eastern Turkey is characterized by distributed deformation, while central Turkey is characterized by coherent plate motion (internal deformation of <2 mm/yr) involving westward displacement and counterclockwise rotation of the Anatolian plate. The Anatolian plate is de-coupled from Eurasia along the right-lateral, strike-slip North Anatolian fault (NAF). We derive a best fitting Euler vector for Anatolia-Eurasia motion of 30.7°± 0.8°N, 32.6°± 0.4°E, 1.2°±0.1°/Myr. The Euler vector gives an upper bound for NAF slip rate of 24±1 mm/yr. We determine a preliminary GPS Arabia-Anatolia Euler vector of 32.9°±1.2°N, 40.3°±1.1°E, 0.8°±0.2°/Myr and an upper bound on left-lateral slip on the East Anatolian fault (EAF) of 9±1 mm/yr. The central and southern Aegean is characterized by coherent motion (internal deformation of <2 mm/yr) toward the SW at 30±1 mm/yr relative to Eurasia. Stations in the SE Aegean deviate significantly from the overall motion of the southern Aegean, showing increasing velocities toward the trench and reaching 10±1 mm/yr relative to the southern Aegean as a whole.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/1999JB900351

Global Positioning System constraints on plate kinematics and dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean and Caucasus

[1] The GPS-derived velocity field (1988–2005) for the zone of interaction of the Arabian, African (Nubian, Somalian), and Eurasian plates indicates counterclockwise rotation of a broad area of the Earth's surface including the Arabian plate, adjacent parts of the Zagros and central Iran, Turkey, and the Aegean/Peloponnesus relative to Eurasia at rates in the range of 20–30 mm/yr. This relatively rapid motion occurs within the framework of the slow-moving (∼5 mm/yr relative motions) Eurasian, Nubian, and Somalian plates. The circulatory pattern of motion increases in rate toward the Hellenic trench system. We develop an elastic block model to constrain present-day plate motions (relative Euler vectors), regional deformation within the interplate zone, and slip rates for major faults. Substantial areas of continental lithosphere within the region of plate interaction show coherent motion with internal deformations below ∼1–2 mm/yr, including central and eastern Anatolia (Turkey), the southwestern Aegean/Peloponnesus, the Lesser Caucasus, and Central Iran. Geodetic slip rates for major block-bounding structures are mostly comparable to geologic rates estimated for the most recent geological period (∼3–5 Myr). We find that the convergence of Arabia with Eurasia is accommodated in large part by lateral transport within the interior part of the collision zone and lithospheric shortening along the Caucasus and Zagros mountain belts around the periphery of the collision zone. In addition, we find that the principal boundary between the westerly moving Anatolian plate and Arabia (East Anatolian fault) is presently characterized by pure left-lateral strike slip with no fault-normal convergence. This implies that “extrusion” is not presently inducing westward motion of Anatolia. On the basis of the observed kinematics, we hypothesize that deformation in the Africa-Arabia-Eurasia collision zone is driven in large part by rollback of the subducting African lithosphere beneath the Hellenic and Cyprus trenches aided by slab pull on the southeastern side of the subducting Arabian plate along the Makran subduction zone. We further suggest that the separation of Arabia from Africa is a response to plate motions induced by active subduction.

GPS constraints on continental deformation in the Africa-Arabia-Eurasia continental collision zone and implications for the dynamics of plate interactions

Seismic tomography models of the three-dimensional upper mantle velocity structure of the Mediterranean-Carpathian region provide a better understanding of the lithospheric processes governing its geodynamical evolution. Slab detachment, in particular lateral migration of this process along the plate boundary, is a key element in the lithospheric dynamics of the region during the last 20 to 30 million years. It strongly affects arc and trench migration, and causes along-strike variations in vertical motions, stress fields, and magmatism. In a terminal-stage subduction zone, involving collision and suturing, slab detachment is the natural last stage in the gravitational settling of subducted lithosphere.

http://www.mantleplumes.org/WebDocuments/Wortel2000.pdf

Subduction and Slab Detachment in the Mediterranean-Carpathian Region

We present and interpret Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of crustal motions for the period 1988–1994 at 54 sites extending east-west from the Caucasus mountains of southern Russia, Georgia, and Armenia to the Aegean coast of Turkey and north-south from the southern edge of the Eurasian plate (Pontus block) to the northern edge of the Arabian platform. Viewed from a Eurasia-fixed reference frame, sites on the northern Arabian platform move N38±13°W at 20±3 mm/yr, roughly consistent with the velocity implied by NUVEL 1A circuit closure (N23±7°W at 24±2 mm/yr). The motion of Arabia appears to be transferred directly to the region of Turkey north of the suture. However, eastern Turkey is characterized by distributed deformation while central/western Turkey is characterized by coherent plate motion involving westward displacement and counterclockwise rotation of the Anatolian plate. Internal deformation within the central part of the Anatolian plate is less than 2 mm/yr. The Anatolian plate is decoupled from Eurasia along the right-lateral, strike-slip North Anatolian fault (NAF). This different response in eastern and western Turkey to the collision of Arabia may result from the different boundary conditions, the Hellenic arc forming a “free” boundary to the west and the Asian continent and oceanic lithosphere of the Black and Caspian Seas forming a resistant boundary to the north and east. We derive a best fitting Euler vector for Anatolia-Eurasia motion of 29.2±0.8°N, 32.9±0.4°, 1.3±0.1°/m.y. The mapped surface trace of the NAF corresponds well to a small circle about this pole. The new Euler vector implies an upper bound for NAF slip rate of 30±2 mm/yr (i.e., assuming all relative motion is accommodated along the NAF). Using the NUVEL 1A Euler vector for Arabia-Eurasia and the GPS Euler vector for Anatolia-Eurasia, we determine an Arabia-Anatolia Euler vector of 31±2°N, 45±2°E, 0.9±0.1 °/m.y. and an upper bound on the East Anatolian fault slip rate of 15±3 mm/yr. The Aegean Trough region of western Turkey deviates significantly from coherent plate rotation. In addition to rotating with Anatolia, this region shows roughly N-S extension at a rate of 14±5 mm/yr. Taken together with satellite laser ranging results along the Hellenic arc, the contemporary pattern of deformation indicates increasing motions toward the arc, suggesting that the westward displacement and counterclockwise rotation of Anatolia is driven both by “pushing” from the Arabian plate and by “pulling” or basal drag associated with the foundering African plate along the Hellenic subduction zone.

Global Positioning System measurements of present-day crustal movements in the Arabia-Africa-Eurasia plate collision zone

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Global Positioning System constraints on plate kinematics and dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean and Caucasus

Global Positioning System measurements of present-day crustal movements in the Arabia-Africa-Eurasia plate collision zone