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Physical Modeling of the Formation of the Meteor and Islas Orcadas Rises (South Atlantic)

  • MARINE GEOLOGY
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Oceanology Aims and scope

Abstract

The kinematic reorganization of plate boundaries in the southeastern Antarctic part of the South Atlantic, expressed in the jump of the spreading axis of the Agulhas Ridge, led to a restructuring of the region’s structural plan. This resulted in the formation of the southern segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), extinction of the previously active Agulhas spreading ridge, and formation of the Meteor and Islas Orcadas rises, marking the location of the MAR and located symmetrically about its axis. Based on the research results, the conditions for the jump in the spreading axis were identified and an experimental model was constructed for the formation of accompanying structures, in which an important role was played by the accretion of oceanic crust on the Agulhas Ridge and westward migration of the Falkland Plateau. This resulted in southward movement of the southern segment of the MAR, formation of the Malvinas microplate, and a jump in the axis of the Agulhas spreading ridge, which led to cessation of spreading on this ridge. An important role in this kinematic restructuring was played by activity of the Shona hotspot.

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Funding

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 22-27-00110).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Moscow State University, Earth Science Museum, Moscow, Russia

    E. P. Dubinin, A. I. Chupakhina & A. L. Grokholsky

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  1. E. P. Dubinin
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  2. A. I. Chupakhina
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  3. A. L. Grokholsky
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to E. P. Dubinin or A. I. Chupakhina.

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Dubinin, E.P., Chupakhina, A.I. & Grokholsky, A.L. Physical Modeling of the Formation of the Meteor and Islas Orcadas Rises (South Atlantic). Oceanology 63, 419–427 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437023030049

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437023030049

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