Wilson Cycle

Phases of Wilson cycle: From ten o'clock position clockwise: (10) initial pre-drift extension, (12) rift-to-drift phase, initial opening of an oceanic basin, (2 and 4) seafloor spreading, widening of the basin, (6) subduction of oceanic lithosphere, closure of the basin, (8) continent-continent collision

The Wilson Cycle is a model that describes the opening and closing of ocean basins and the subduction and divergence of tectonic plates during the assembly and disassembly of supercontinents. A classic example of the Wilson Cycle is the opening and closing of the Atlantic Ocean. It has been suggested that Wilson cycles on Earth started about 3 Ga in the Archean Eon.[1] The Wilson Cycle model was a key development in the theory of plate tectonics during the Plate Tectonics Revolution.

  1. ^ Shirey, Steven B.; Richardson, Stephen H. (2011). "Start of the Wilson Cycle at 3 Ga Shown by Diamonds from Subcontinental Mantle". Science. 333 (6041): 434–436. Bibcode:2011Sci...333..434S. doi:10.1126/science.1206275. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 21778395. S2CID 35270916.