@article {Simula.simula.2032,
	title = {Rapid South Atlantic Spreading Changes and Coeval Vertical Motion in Surrounding Continents: Evidence for Temporal Changes of Pressure-Driven Upper Mantle Flow},
	journal = {Tectonics},
	volume = {32},
	number = {June},
	year = {2014},
	month = {June},
	publisher = {American Geophysical Union},
	abstract = {The South Atlantic region displays (1) a topographic gradient across the basin, with Africa elevated relative to South America, (2) a bimodal spreading history with fast spreading rates in Late Cretaceous and Eo-Oligocene, and (3) episodic regional uplift events in the adjacent continents concentrated in Late Cretaceous and Oligocene. Here we show that these observations can be linked by dynamic processes within Earth\&$\#$39;s mantle, through temporal changes in asthenosphere flow beneath the region. The topographic gradient implies westward, pressure-driven mantle flow beneath the basin, while the rapid spreading rate changes, on order 10 million years, require significant decoupling of regional plate motion from the large-scale mantle buoyancy distribution through a mechanically weak asthenosphere. Andean topographic growth in late Miocene can explain the most recent South Atlantic spreading velocity reduction, arising from increased plate boundary forcing associated with the newly elevated topography. But this mechanism is unlikely to explain the Late Cretaceous/Tertiary spreading variations, as changes in Andean paleoelevation at the time are small. We propose an unsteady pressure-driven flow component in the asthenosphere beneath the South Atlantic region to explain the Late Cretaceous/Tertiary spreading rate variations. Temporal changes in mantle flow due to temporal changes in regional mantle pressure gradients imply a correlation of horizontal and vertical motions: we find that this prediction from our models agrees with geologic and geophysical observations of the South Atlantic region, including episodes of passive margin uplift, regional basin reactivation, and magmatic activity.},
	doi = {10.1002/2014TC003612},
	author = {Colli, Lorenzo and Stotz, Ingo and Bunge, Hans-Peter and Smethurst, Mark and Clark, Stuart and Iaffaldano, Giampiero and Tassara, Andres and Guillocheau, Francois and Maria Chiara {Bianchi}}
}
@article {Simula.simula.660,
	title = {On the Fly Visualization of Multilayer Geoscientific Datasets Using 4DPlates},
	journal = {Computers \& Geosciences},
	volume = {47},
	number = {1},
	year = {2012},
	month = {August},
	pages = {46-51},
	publisher = {Elsevier},
	abstract = {This paper presents the 4DPlates, an application designed to display high resolution data and reconstruct their positions in the geologic past. 4DPlates makes use of level of detail (LoD) grids with a 4-8 tree structure to store the data so only the require resolution for a particular viewpoint is used. This facility means that the user can interact with large data sets on the fly, achieving between 30 and 50 frames per second with a large test data set. The article presents the design and functionality of the application, from view-dependent visualization to the ability to reconstruct data in the distant past. Finally, we apply the application in two geoscientific settings. In the first, we calculate the tectonic subsidence from sediment loading and test the variation of the sediment density to the resulting subsidence grid. Secondly, we examine two South Atlantic reconstructions and highlight minor differences between them visible in the closeness of the fit of the topographic grids. The application excels at providing an interactive manipulation of high resolution data, whether it be reconstructing the data, setting the lighting angle or vertical exaggeration, or modifying parameters in the underlying formulas.},
	doi = {10.1016/j.cageo.2012.03.015},
	author = {Clark, Stuart and Skogseid, Jakob and Smethurst, Mark and Tarrou, Christian and Trond Vidar {Stensby} and Are Magnus {Bruaset} and Allison K. {Thurmond}}
}
@misc {Simula.simula.1646,
	title = {Plate Reconstruction of the Western Mediterranean: Derived Age-Grid and Residual Topography},
	howpublished = {  },
	year = {2012},
	month = {December},
	abstract = {The Western Mediterranean area is characterized by a collage of small tectonic plates trapped between the converging African and Eurasian plates. The rotation of these blocks was synchronous with the subduction of old oceanic crust and the opening of the present basins by back-arc extension. Multiple plate reconstruction models have been proposed for this region. Estimating the robustness and limitations of each model is important for better refining both regional and global models of plate motion. In this study, we examine four of the Western Mediterranean plate models (NGU 2010, Earthbyte 2012, Paleomap 2008, and Rosenbaum 2002), and we evaluate their consistency with geological and geophysical constraints. We focus on the timings of the onsets and endings of block motions, the relative chronology of the opening of back-arc basins, and the paleo-positions of blocks. This evaluation allows us to derive an alternative plate model that best satisfies the available geological and geophysical constraints. Based on plate flow-lines for the new model, an oceanic crust age-grid has been generated. This age-grid was used to estimate the residual topography in the Western Mediterranean.},
	keywords = {Conference},
	author = {Said, Aymen and Smethurst, Mark and Clark, Stuart and Moder, Christoph and Skogseid, Jakob}
}
