AB, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1975

MS, Stanford University, 1977

PhD, Stanford University, 1979

Global tectonics and tectonophysics, marine geophysics, space geodesy, paleomagnetism

Center for Computational Geophysics

Email: rgg@rice.edu
Phone: (713) 348-5279
Office: Geology, 224
Web Address:
Rice Global Tectonics Web Page

Quantitative Tectonics: Applications to regional and global tectonics of investigations of the horizontal kinematics of the crust and lithosphere inferred mainly from marine-geophysical, paleomagnetic, space geodetic, and earthquake-mechanism data.

Tectonic applications of space geodesy: Donald Argus and I are studying the motion between the Pacific, North America, Eurasian, and Sierra-Nevada plates over the past decade using geodetic data from very long baseline interferometry. One focus has been how motion is accommodated across the wide deforming zone in western North America that divides the Pacific from the North American plate.

Plate rigidity and wide plate boundary zones: Using marine geophysical and space geodetic data, students, colleagues and I have been placing quantitative limits on plate rigidity and identifying regions of the world where plates deform over very wide zones, which we interpret as diffuse plate boundaries. Of particular interest has been the deforming zone in the equatorial Indian Ocean east of the Central Indian Ridge and west of Sumatra. Our recent work has expanded to include the motion between the Capricorn and Australian plates and the oceanic portions of the Nubian and Somalian plates.

Tectonic paleomagnetism: With Ben Horner-Johnson, I am analyzing the shapes of sea-surface magnetic anomalies due to seafloor spreading. From this information we estimate paleomagnetic poles averaged over small, precisely dated time intervals. Goals of this work include testing circum-Pacific plate reconstructions, determining the history of motion of hotspots relative to the paleomagnetic axis, and to put bounds on possible persistent quadrupole components of the geomagnetic field in the past.

Plate motion relative to the hotspots: Current studies include a global model of current plate motion relative to the hotspots (with Alice Gripp), a model for the Tertiary and Cretaceous motion of the Pacific plate relative to hotspots, implications for the tectonic and volcanic evolution of the Pacific, the quantification of uncertainties of plate motion relative to the hotspots, and tests for motion between hotspots.

Publications

Gordon, R. G., D. F. Argus, & J.-Y. Royer "Space geodetic test of kinematic models for the Indo-Australian composite plate."  Geology, 36 (2008): 827-830.

Kumar, R. R., & R. G. Gordon "Horizontal Thermal Contraction of Oceanic Lithosphere: The Ultimate Limit to the Rigid Plate Approximation."  Journal of Geophysical Research, 113 (2008).(In Press)

Gordon, R. G. "A tale of a trail."  Nature Geoscience, 1 (2008): 574-575.

Horner-Johnson, B. C., R. G. Gordon, and D. F. Argus, Plate kinematic evidence for the existence of a distinct plate between the Nubian and Somalian plates along the Southwest Indian Ridge, J. Geophys. Res., VOL. 112, B05418, doi:10.1029/2006JB004519, 2007

David L. Andrews, Richard G. Gordon and Benjamin C. Horner-Johnson "Uncertainties in plate reconstructions relative to the hotspots; Pacific-hotspot rotations and uncertainties for the past 68 million years."  Geophysical Journal International, 166 (2006): 939-951.

Jean-Yves Royer, Richard G. Gordon, and Benjamin C. Horner-Johnson, Motion of Nubia relative to Antarctica since 11 Ma: Implications for Nubia-Somalia, PacificNorth America, and India-Eurasia motion, Geology; June 2006; v. 34; no. 6; p. 501504.

Jellinek, MA, Gordon RG, Zatman, S "Experimental tests of simple models for the dynamics of diffuse oceanic plate boundaries."  Geophysical Journal International, 164 (2006): 624¿632.

Horner-Johnson B.C., Gordon R.G., Cowles S.M., Argus D.F. "The angular velocity of Nubia relative to Somalia and the location of the Nubia-Somalia-Antarctica triple junction."  Geophysical Journal International, 162 (2005): 221-238 .

DeMets C, Gordon R.G., Royer J.Y. "Motion between the Indian, Capricorn and Somalian plates since 20 Ma: implications for the timing and magnitude of distributed lithospheric deformation in the equatorial Indian ocean ."  Geophysical Journal International, 161 (2005): 445-468 .

Zatman S., Gordon R.G., Mutnuri K. "Dynamics of diffuse oceanic plate boundaries: insensitivity to rheology."  Geophysical Journal International, 162 (2005): 239-248 .

B. J. Horner-Johnson, Gordon, R. G. "Equatorial Pacific magnetic anomalies identified from vector aeromagnetic data."  Geophysical Journal International, 155 (2003): 547-556.

Gripp, A. E. and Gordon, R. G. "Young tracks of hotspots and current plate velocities."  Geophysical Journal International, 150 (2002): 321-361.

Lemaux II, J., Gordon, R. G., and J.-Y. Royer "The location of the Nubia-Somalia boundary along the Southwest Indian Ridge."  Geology, 30 (2002): 339-342.

Zatman, S., R. G. Gordon, and M. A. Richards "Analytic models for the dynamics of diffuse oceanic plate boundaries."  Geophysical Journal International, 145 (2001): 145-156.

Gordon, R. G. "The Antarctic connection."  Nature, 404 (2000): 139-140.

Richards, M. A., R. G. Gordon, and R. D. Van der Hilst "Plate tectonics and mantle convection: thirty years later."  in Richards, M. A., R. G. Gordon, and R. D. Van der Hilst (editors), History and Dynamics of Global Plate Motions, Geophysical Monograph 121, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC (2000): 1-4.

Richards, M. A., R. G. Gordon, and R. D. Van der Hilst "History and Dynamics of Global Plate Motions."   (2000): 398 pp..

Gordon, R. G. "Diffuse oceanic plate boundaries: Strain rates, vertically averaged rheology, and comparisons with narrow plate boundaries and stable plate interiors."  in Richards, M. A., R. G. Gordon, and R. D. Van der Hilst (editors), History and Dynamics of Global Plate Motions, Geophysical Monograph 121, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC (2000): 143-159.

Kirkwood, B. H., J.-Y. Royer, T. C. Chang, and R. G. Gordon "Statistical tools for estimating and combining finite rotations and their uncertainties."  Geophysical Journal International, 137 (1999): 408-428.

Chu, D., and R. G. Gordon "Evidence for motion between Nubia and Somalia along the Southwest Indian Ridge."  Nature, 398 (1999): 64-67.

Petronotis, K. E., and R. G. Gordon "A Maastrichtian palaeomagnetic pole for the Pacific plate from a skewness analysis of marine magnetic anomaly 32."  Geophysical Journal International, 139 (1999): 227-247.

Gordon, R. G. "The plate tectonic approximation: Plate nonrigidity, diffuse plate boundaries, and global plate reconstructions."  Annual Reviews of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 26 (1998): 615-642.

Chu, D., and Gordon, R.G. "Current plate motions across the Red Sea."  Geophysical Journal International, 135 (1998): 313-328.

Presentations

"New tests of the fixed hotspot approximation."  Arizona Geological Society Symposium: Ores and Orogenesis: Circum-Pacific Tectonics, Geologic Evolution, and Ore Deposits, Tucson, AZ.  (Sept. 27, 2007)

1st author and speaker.  "Global Strike-Slip Faults:Bounds from Plate Tectonics."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (Dec. 11-15, 2006) With Donald F. Argus.

co-author.  "MORVEL: A new estimate for geologically recent plate motions."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (December 17, 2008) With Chuck DeMets & Donald F Argus.

Presenter and first author.  "Diffuse Oceanic Plate Boundaries, Thin Viscous Sheets of Oceanic Lithosphere, and Late Miocene Changes in Plate Motion and Tectonic Regime."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (2005) With Jean-Yves Royer.

co-author.  "The Translation and Rotation With Which to Define the North American plate."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.  (December 11, 2007) With Donald Argus, W. R. Peltier.

Presenter and first author.  "Improvements to Estimates of Geologically Instantaneous Global Plate Motions."  Dynamic Planet/International Association of Geodesy bi-ennial meeting, Cairns, Australia.  (August 2005) With Donald Argus.

speaker.  "Africa-Europe plate motions and deformation from both marine geophysical and space geodetic data."  Topo Europe Workshop, El Escorial, Spain.  (October 6, 2008)

Speaker, senior author.  "Latitudinal shift of the Hawiian hotspot: Motion relative to other hotspots or true polar wander."  European Geophysical Union Meeting, Vieena.  (April 2005) With Benjamin C. Horner-Johnson and Ravi R. Kumar.

speaker.  "Horizontal thermal contractional strain of oceanic lithosphere: the ultimate limit to the rigid plate hypothesis."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (Dec. 11-15, 2006) With Ravi R. Kumar, Chad M. Landis.

Presenter and 1st author.  "New tests of the fixed hotspot approximation."  European Geophysical Union Meeting, Vienna.  (May 2005) With David L. Andrews, & Benjamin C. Horner-Johnson.

speaker.  "Horizontal thermal contractional strain in oceanic lithosphere: The ultimate limit to the rigid plate hypothesis."  Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.  (October 31, 2007) With Ravi Kumar.

Presenter, Convenor.  "Paleomagnetic poles from the skewness of marine magnetic anomalies."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (December 2005) With Benjamin Horner-Johnson.

Co-author and advisor.  "Horizontal thermal contraction of oceanic lithosphere and implications for the rigid plate approximation."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (December 2005) With Ravi Kumar.

co-author.  "Moving beyond NUVEL-1A: The MORVEL estimates of geologically recent global plate motions."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (Dec. 11-15, 2006) With C DeMets, D F Argus.

speaker & 1st author.  "Thin Viscous Sheet Models for Deformation of Indo-Australian Oceanic Lithosphere."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (December 19, 2008) With Greg Houseman.

speaker & co-author.  "Evidence for True Polar Wander since mid-Cenozoic time: A Paleomagnetic Investigation of the Skewness of Magnetic Anomaly 12r (32 Ma) Between the Galapagos and Clarion Fracture Zones on the Pacific Plate."  European Geoscience Union Annual Meeting, Vienna.  (April 15, 2008) With Benjamin Horner-Johnson.

co-author.  "GEODVEL: Plate Motions From Space Geodesy."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (Dec. 11-15, 2006) With D F Argus, Ma, C, Eanes, R J, Heflin, M B, Willis, S, and Willis, P.

co-author.  "GEODVEL: Plate Angular Velocities from four space techniques."  Geological Society of America annual meeting, Houston.  (October 4, 2008) With Donald F. Argus.

1st author and speaker.  "Non-closure of the geologically instantaneous global plate motion circuit: Implications for plate non-rigidity."  European Geophysical Union, Vienna.  (April 2-7 2006) With Ravi R. Kumar, Jean-Yves Royer, Donald F. Argus.

Presenter and First Author.  "Non-closure of the geologically instantaneous global plate motion circuit: Implications for plate non-rigidity."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (December 2005) With Jean-Yves Royer, Donald Argus, Ravi Kumar.

Co-author.  "Does a Fault in the Plate Circuit Ruin Intra-ocean Comparison of Hotspot Tracks."  Great Plume Debate, Scotland.  (August 2005) With Will Sager.

Presenter and Convenor.  "Pacific plate apparent polar wander and latitudinal shift of the Hawaiian hotspot: A brief review and future prospects."  American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, New Orleans.  (May 2005)

Convenor, Presenter, and First Author.  "New tests of the fixed hotspot approximation."  American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, New Orleans.  (May 2005) With David L. Andrews, Benjamin Horner-Johnson, Ravi R. Kumar.

Co-Author.  "Total motion across the East African Rift viewed from the Southwest Indian Ridge."  American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, New Orleans.  (May 2005) With Jean-Yves Royer.

"Day Medal citation for Mary Lou Zoback."  Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.  (October 27, 2007)

Supervisor and co-author.  "Spreading-rate-dependent anomalous skewness and the estimate of the chron 32 palaeomagnetic pole for the Pacific plate."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (Dec. 11-15, 2006) With Emilia Koivisto, Jerome Dyment, Jafar Arkani-Hamed.

presenter.  "Evidence for True Polar Wander since mid-Cenozoic time: A Paleomagnetic Investigation of the Skewness of Magnetic Anomaly 12r (32 Ma) Between the Galapagos and Clarion Fracture Zones on the Pacific Plate."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.  (December 10, 2007) With Benjamin Horner-Johnson.

supervisor and co-author.  "Updated Pacific Plate Paleomagnetic Pole for Chron 32 (72 Ma), Uncertainties in Pacific-Hotspot Rotations, and Updated Pacific-Hotspot Plate Reconstructions."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.  (December 10, 2007) With Emilia Koivisto.

supervisor & co-author.  "Stresses and Strength of the Lithosphere: Implications of the Distribution of Lithospheric Deformation in the Equatorial Indian Ocean."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (December 19, 2008) With Jaydip Ghosh, Kartik Mutnuri.

co-author & supervisor.  "Updated test of fixity of the Iceland hotspot relative to Pacific hotspots."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (December 18, 2008) With E. Koivisto & D. L. Andrews.

Presenter.  "Cretaceous Apparent Polar Wander of North America: Leisurely Stroll, but not Standing Still."  American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, New Orleans.  (May 2005) With Gary Acton.

co-author & presenter.  "Do transform faults parallel plate motion?."  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.  (December 18, 2008) With Jay K Mishra.

"New tests of the fixed hotspot approximation."  University of Florida, Gainesville.  (Feb. 22, 2007)

"New tests of the fixed hotspot approximation."  University of Leeds, Leeds, England.  (February 19, 2008)

"The torque across the India-Capricorn Diffuse Plate Boundary: The Tibetan Connection."  University of Leeds, Leeds, England.  (July 2005)

Theses

James W. Lemaux II, Masters.  "The Motion between Nubia and Somalia from Magnetic Anomaly and Fracture Zone Crossings Flanking the Southwest Indian Ridge."  (1999).

Benjamin Horner-Johnson, Doctoral.  "Spectral and skewness studies of Pacific plate marine magnetic anomaly 12R: Implications for anomalous skewness and the motion of the Pacific plate relative to the hotspots."  (2000).

Amy C. Koomen, Masters.  "Kinematics and visualization of strain in three dimensions."  (2000).

Sara M. Cowles, Masters.  "The present location of the Nubia-Somalia-Antarctica triple junction."  (2001).

Catherine Cooper, Ph.D.  "The Thermal and Mechanical Structure of Stable Continental Lithosphere within a Dynamic Mantle."  (2005).(Committee Member)

Kartik Mutnuri, M.S.  "Diffuse Oceanic Plate Boundaries: Kinematic Observations and Dynamic Constraints."  (2005).(Thesis or Dissertation Director)

Emilia Koivisto, Ph.D.  "Uncertainities in the Motion of the Pacific Plate Relative to the Hotspots over the Past 100 Million Years."  (2008).(Thesis or Dissertation Director)

Jaydip Ghosh, Ph.D.  "Strength Paradox of Oceanic Lithosphere."  (2008).(Thesis or Dissertation Director)

Jay Mishra, Ph.D.  "Finite Element Models for Horizontal Thermal Contraction of Oceanic Lithosphere."  (2008).(Thesis or Dissertation Director)

Andre Klein, "Member, Thesis Committee."  

Professional Experience

Northwestern University, Geological Sciences, Asst. Prof.-Prof., Dept. Chair.  (9/1/1980 - 6/30/1995). (Evanston, IL)

Stanford University, Geophysics, Acting Asst. Prof./Postdoctoral Fellow.  (6/1/1979 - 8/31/1980). (Palo Alto, CA)