Workshop on the Origin and Evolution of Plate Tectonics

Participants of the workshop. For names see the PARTICIPANTS page.

Scenes from the meeting field trip. Left: Prof. Jean-Pierre Burg (ETH) providing information to group before departure. Centre: studying garnet-bearing amphibolites of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone. Right: examining migmatitic orthogneisses along the Maggia River near Tegna.

The young scientist best presentation award was won by Kiran Chotalia of UCL!

On the origin of plate tectonics

• Motivation

  The question "Why does Earth have plate tectonics?" stands among the top ten research questions shaping 21st-century Earth Science (National Academy of Sciences). Coming on the 10 year anniversary of the Penrose workshop "Why did plate tectonics begin", this conference brought together international experts in Earth's geological history, geophysics and geodynamics and introduced students and young researchers to this interdisciplinary research topic in an informal setting conducive to establishing ties with new colleagues and advancing this potentially transformative topic.

  The discussions were organized around four themes:

  - When did plate tectonics start?
  - How did plate tectonics start?
  - What was before plate tectonics?
  - Broader Impacts: Why do we care?
  and there was a one day field trip to the Alps

  Main organizers: Bob Stern (U. Texas, Dallas), Paul Tackley and Taras Gerya (ETH Zurich)

  Conference sponsors: CSF (ETHZ), SNF and the Deep Carbon Observatory.

  
  Do you want to read more about plate tectonics? See these four blogs:

  Lindy Elkins-Tanton on speakinfogeoscience.org

  David Bercovici on speakinfogeoscience.org

  Taras Gerya on speakinfogeoscience.org

  Bob Stern on speakinfogeoscience.org

  
  

  See the program »

  
  

  »» Contact us at workshoplocarno2016@gmail.com

  
  
  
  

  Conference center Monte Verità

  • For more information about the conference center, follow this link

  See the program »