AUTOMATED WORKFLOW FOR TESTING PLATE RECONSTRUCTIONS WITH COMPUTER MODELS

Tectonic plate reconstruction is usually being done in a purely geometric and one-directional way: Geologic observations are being assembled to produce plate polygons and rotation poles. The resulting velocity field can then serve as a boundary condition for e.g. mantle circulation models. This approach works as long as the geologic evidence—mostly seafloor magnetization—has been preserved and is unambiguous. Otherwise, computer simulations of lithosphere physics can help providing further constraints. However, such simulations can only confirm or reject hypotheses, requiring an iterative workflow. The process of creating and testing a model must therefore be automated, for being easily repeatable. We present a streamlined workflow for converting plate geometries and topography into a triangular finite element mesh for the tectonic simulation code SHELLS. With this, we can investigate the force balance between plates, test different rheological assumptions and infer implications on the plate geometry and motion.