Open AccessDigital isochrons of the world's ocean floor
Author(s) -
Müller R. Dietmar,
Roest Walter R.,
Royer JeanYves,
Gahagan Lisa M.,
Sclater John G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: solid earth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/96jb01781
Subject(s) - geology , lithosphere , classification of discontinuities , geodesy , geophysics , isochron dating , magnetic anomaly , seismology , mantle (geology) , grid , asthenosphere , interpolation (computer graphics) , plate tectonics , tectonics , computer science , mathematics , isochron , geochemistry , animation , mathematical analysis , computer graphics (images)
We have created a digital age grid of the ocean floor with a grid node interval of 6 arc min using a self‐consistent set of global isochrons and associated plate reconstruction poles. The age at each grid node was determined by linear interpolation between adjacent isochrons in the direction of spreading. Ages for ocean floor between the oldest identified magnetic anomalies and continental crust were interpolated by estimating the ages of passive continental margin segments from geological data and published plate models. We have constructed an age grid with error estimates for each grid cell as a function of (1) the error of ocean floor ages identified from magnetic anomalies along ship tracks and the age of the corresponding grid cells in our age grid, (2) the distance of a given grid cell to the nearest magnetic anomaly identification, and (3) the gradient of the age grid: i.e., larger errors are associated with high age gradients at fracture zones or other age discontinuities. Future applications of this digital grid include studies of the thermal and elastic structure of the lithosphere, the heat loss of the Earth, ridge‐push forces through time, asymmetry of spreading, and providing constraints for seismic tomography and mantle convection models.