The Natural History of Plate Tectonics

The Gordon Research Seminar on the Interior of the Earth is a unique forum for graduate students, post-docs, and other scientists with comparable levels of experience and education to present and exchange new data and cutting edge ideas.

The focus of this year's meeting is the "Natural History of Plate Tectonics". In the 50 years since the unified theory of plate tectonics was first presented, our understanding of what plates are and how they move has progressed enormously. However, the stagnant surface of other planets demonstrates that mobile plates are not to be taken for granted. This seminar will focus on outstanding questions concerning the initiation, deep driving forces, longevity, and evolution of Earth's mobile surface, integrating multidisciplinary research perspectives. We particularly solicit research on linkages between past and present tectonics and the Earth's deep interior, complementing the focus of this year's Gordon Research Conference.