Plate tectonics as a system of sciences
Now tectonics no longer be viewed as purely a geological concept. It plays a key role in all the earth sciences, it identified several methodological approaches with various basic concepts and principles.
In terms of the kinematic approach, the movement of plates can be described by the laws of geometric shapes moving on the sphere. Land is regarded as a mosaic of plates of different sizes, moving relative to each other and the planet itself. Paleomagnetic data allow us to restore the position of the magnetic pole on each plate at different points in time. Compilation of data on various boards led to the reconstruction of the entire sequence of relative movement of plates. Combining these data with information obtained from the fixed hotspot, made it possible to determine the absolute movement of plates and the history of the movement of the magnetic poles of the Earth.
Thermophysical approach treats the Earth as a heat engine in which thermal energy is partially converted into mechanical energy. In this approach, the motion of matter in the inner layers of the Earth is modeled as a stream of viscous fluid, described by the Navier - Stokes equations. Mantle convection is accompanied by phase transitions and chemical reactions, which play a decisive role in the structure of the mantle flow. Based on the geophysical sensing, the results of thermal experiments and analytical and numerical calculations, the scientists are trying to refine the structure of mantle convection, find the velocity of flows and other important characteristics of the underlying processes. Especially important are these data for understanding the structure of the deepest parts of the Earth - the lower mantle and core, which are inaccessible to direct study, but obviously has a great influence on the processes occurring on the surface of the planet.
Geochemical approach. The geochemistry of plate tectonics is important as a mechanism for continuous exchange of matter and energy between the different shells of the Earth. For each of geodynamic environment characterized by specific association of rocks. In turn, on these characteristic features can determine the geodynamic environment in which the rock was formed.
Historical approach. In the sense of the history of planet Earth, plate tectonics - a history of connecting and splitting of continents, the birth and extinction of volcanic chains, the appearance and closing of oceans and seas. Now for large blocks of crust movements established history with great detail and for a considerable period of time, but for small plates methodological difficulties are much larger. The most complex geodynamic processes occurring in zones of collision of plates, where they form a mountain chain, formed by many small disparate blocks - terranes. In the study of the Rocky Mountains was born a particular direction of Geological Research - terreynovy analysis, which comprises a set of methods to allocate terranes and the reconstruction of their history.