Cited by 1,673earthquake and tectonic studiesGeological and Geophysical StudiesHigh-pressure geophysics and materials

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On the Relative Importance of the Driving Forces of Plate Motion

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Forsyth, D., Uyeda, S.·1975·Geophysical Journal International

DOI 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1975.tb00631.x

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Abstract

A number of possible mechanisms have recently been proposed for driving the motions of the lithospheric plates, such as pushing from mid-ocean ridges, pulling by downgoing slabs, suction toward trenches, and coupling of the plates to flow in the mantle. We advance a new observational method of testing these theories of the driving mechanism. Our basic approach is to solve the inverse problem of determining the relative strength of the plausible driving forces, given the observed motions and geometries of the lithospheric plates. Since the inertia of the plates is negligible, each plate must be in dynamic equilibrium, so that the sum of the torques acting on a plate must be zero. Thus, our problem is to determine the relative sizes of the forces that minimize the components of net torque on each plate. The results indicate that the forces acting on the downgoing slab control the velocity of the oceanic plates and are an order of magnitude stronger than any other force. Namely, all the oceanic plates attached to substantial amounts of downgoing slabs move with a ‘terminal velocity’ at which the gravitational body force pulling the slabs downward is nearly balanced with the resistance acting on the slab; regardless of the other features of the trailing horizontal part of the plates. The drag on the bottom of the plates which resist motion is stronger under the continents than under the oceans.

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“Recently, computations were used, for example, to address long-standing questions about the partitioning of driving forces (Forsyth & Uyeda 1975; Chapple & Tullis 1977) by combining viscous flow and edgeforce approaches (Becker & O'Connell 2001; Conrad & Lithgow- Bertelloni 2004).”
Kinematics and flow patterns in deep mantle and upper mantle subduction models: Influence of the mantle depth and slab to mantle viscosity ratio
Schellart, W. P. (2008) · Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems · doi:10.1029/2007gc001656 · Cited by 165
“[2] Subducting slabs are the primary driving force for plate tectonics and mantle convection on Earth [Elsasser, 1971; Jacoby, 1973; Forsyth and Uyeda, 1975; Davies and Richards, 1992; Bercovici, 2003; Schellart, 2004a].”
Background
Tectonic speed limits from plate kinematic reconstructions
Zahirovic, S., Müller, R. D., Seton, M., & Flament, N. (2015) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.02.037 · Cited by 163
A relation between the driving force and geoid anomaly associated with mid-ocean ridges
Parsons, B. E., & Richter, F. M. (1980) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/0012-821x(80)90223-x · Cited by 165
The Late Jurassic to present evolution of the Andean margin: Drivers and the geological record
Maloney, K. T., Clarke, G. L., Klepeis, K. A., & Quevedo, L. (2013) · Tectonics · doi:10.1002/tect.20067 · Cited by 163
The Challenger–Juan Fernández–Maipo major tectonic transition of the Nazca–Andean subduction system at 33–34°S: geodynamic evidence and implications
Yáñez, G. A., Cembrano, J. M., Pardo, M., Ranero, C. R., & Sellés, D. (2002) · Journal of South American Earth Sciences · doi:10.1016/s0895-9811(02)00004-4 · Cited by 162
Radiogenic heat production in the continental crust
Jaupart, C., Mareschal, J., & Iarotsky, L. (2016) · Lithos · doi:10.1016/j.lithos.2016.07.017 · Cited by 161
Plate tectonics: What, where, why, and when?
Palin, R. M., & Santosh, M. (2020) · Gondwana Research · doi:10.1016/j.gr.2020.11.001 · Cited by 167
“In a landmark study, Forsyth and Uyeda (1975) compared key physical properties of Earth’s major tectonic plates and identified certain variables that showed strong positive and negative relationships, while others showed no correlation.”
Background
Recurrence of great earthquakes at subduction zones
Rikitake, T. (1976) · Tectonophysics · doi:10.1016/0040-1951(76)90075-5 · Cited by 161
Palaeostress reconstructions and geodynamics of the Baikal region, Central Asia, Part I. Palaeozoic and Mesozoic pre-rift evolution
Delvaux, D., Moeys, R., Stapel, G., Melnikov, A. I., & Ermikov, V. D. (1995) · Tectonophysics · doi:10.1016/0040-1951(95)00090-9 · Cited by 160
North American-Eurasian Plate Boundary in northeast Asia
Chapman, M. E., & Solomon, S. C. (1976) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jb081i005p00921 · Cited by 159
When and how did plate tectonics begin? Theoretical and empirical considerations
Stern, R. J. (2007) · Chinese Science Bulletin · doi:10.1007/s11434-007-0073-8 · Cited by 159
Testing hypotheses on plate‐driving mechanisms with global lithosphere models including topography, thermal structure, and faults
Bird, P. (1998) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/98jb00198 · Cited by 158
Upper plate controls on deep subduction, trench migrations and deformations at convergent margins
Capitanio, F. A., Stegman, D. R., Moresi, L. N., & Sharples, W. (2009) · Tectonophysics · doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2009.08.020 · Cited by 159
Cyclical one-way continental rupture-drift in the Tethyan evolution: Subduction-driven plate tectonics
Wan, B., Wu, F., Chen, L., Zhao, L., Liang, X., Xiao, W., & Zhu, R. (2019) · Science China Earth Sciences · doi:10.1007/s11430-019-9393-4 · Cited by 157
Northeast Atlantic passive continental margins: Rifting and subsidence processes
Montadert, L., de Charpal, O., Roberts, D., Guennoc, P., & Sibuet, J. (1979) · Maurice Ewing series · doi:10.1029/me003p0154 · Cited by 157
Subduction dynamics as revealed by trench migration
Lallemand, S., Heuret, A., Faccenna, C., & Funiciello, F. (2008) · Tectonics · doi:10.1029/2007tc002212 · Cited by 155
“[26] 1. The slab pull force Fsp represents the main driving force in the system [e.g., Forsyth and Uyeda, 1975; McKenzie, 1977; Davies, 1980; Carlson, 1995].”
BackgroundInfluential
Fragmentation of the Farallon Plate by Pivoting Subduction
Menard, H. W. (1978) · The Journal of Geology · doi:10.1086/649658 · Cited by 156
Whole-mantle convection and plate tectonics
Davies, G. F. (1977) · Geophysical Journal International · doi:10.1111/j.1365-246x.1977.tb03717.x · Cited by 156
Heat flow, arc volcanism, and subduction in northern Oregon
Blackwell, D., Bowen, R. G., Hull, D. A., Riccio, J., & Steele, J. (1982) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jb087ib10p08735 · Cited by 155
Slab detachment in continental collision zones: An analysis of controlling parameters
Ton, S. Y. M. W. A., & Wortel, M. J. R. (1997) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/97gl01939 · Cited by 153
Double seismic zones and stresses of intermediate depth earthquakes
Fujita, K., & Kanamori, H. (1981) · Geophysical Journal International · doi:10.1111/j.1365-246x.1981.tb05950.x · Cited by 154
Oceanic lithosphere and asthenosphere: Thermal and mechanical structure
Schubert, G., Froidevaux, C., & Yuen, D. A. (1976) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jb081i020p03525 · Cited by 151
Intraplate Stresses: A New Element in Basin Analysis
Cloetingh, S. A. P. L. (1988) · Frontiers in sedimentary geology · doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-3788-4_10 · Cited by 152
Late Proterozoic plate tectonics and palaeogeography: a tale of two supercontinents, Rodinia and Pannotia
Scotese, C. R. (2009) · Geological Society London Special Publications · doi:10.1144/sp326.4 · Cited by 150
What drives tectonic plates?
Coltice, N., Husson, L., Faccenna, C., & Arnould, M. (2019) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.aax4295 · Cited by 151
“The velocity is dependent on the overall buoyancy of the slab, supporting the importance of the length of trenches rather than the depth of the slab (which does not vary as extensively as trench length), as proposed by (3).”
Background
Global upper‐mantle structure from finite‐frequency surface‐wave tomography
Zhou, Y., Nolet, G., Dahlen, F. A., & Laske, G. (2006) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/2005jb003677 · Cited by 150
Dynamics of slab rollback and induced back-arc basin formation
Nakakuki, T., & Mura, E. (2012) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2012.10.031 · Cited by 156
An extreme-scale implicit solver for complex PDEs
Rudi, J., Malossi, A. C. I., Isaac, T., Stadler, G., Gurnis, M., Staar, P., Ineichen, Y., Bekas, C., Curioni, A., & Ghattas, O. N. (2015) · International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC) · doi:10.1145/2807591.2807675 · Cited by 150
“The second question concerns the forces driving and resisting global plate motion and the degree to which interplate coupling governs plate motions [4], [33], [34].”
Background
Geological understanding of plate tectonics: Basic concepts, illustrations, examples and new perspectives
Niu, Y. (2014) · Global Tectonics and Metallogeny · doi:10.1127/gtm/2014/0009 · Cited by 151

Authors: Forsyth, D., & Uyeda, S.
Affiliations: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (US)
ORCID: Forsyth, D.
Venue: Geophysical Journal International
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published: 1975-10-01
Volume: 43
Issue: 1
Pages: 163-200
ISSN: 0956-540X (ISSN-L)
1365-246X
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1975.tb00631.x
OpenAlex: W2011893217
Cited by: 1,673
References: 86
Citations by year: 2026: 33 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 57 · 2023: 78 · 2022: 64 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 82 · 2019: 52 · 2018: 73 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 46 · 2015: 50 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 37
FWCI: 23.95
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Locations: Geophysical Journal International (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Science Foundation
Office of Naval Research (N00014)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › earthquake and tectonic studies
Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geology › Geological and Geophysical Studies
Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › High-pressure geophysics and materials
Keywords: plate motion, plate driving forces, slab pull, inverse problems, plate tectonics

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On the Relative Importance of the Driving Forces of Plate Motion

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