Boulder, Colo., USA: Plates collide and mountain ranges form, and the why and how are key to understanding orogenic processes. This volume explores linkages between tectonic processes through a series of field, numerical modeling, and laboratory studies, concentrating on feedback mechanisms within orogens by which tectonic processes may influence or predetermine the operation of other processes in space and time.
J. Ryan Thigpen (University of Kentucky) and colleagues explain, "Most orogenic processes do not behave independently, but instead are highly dependent on other forcing mechanisms, which makes documenting these linkages of critical importance for taking the next step in understanding orogenic evolution."
Additionally, they note, "The progress achieved by modeling and field studies is limited by our ability to reconcile field observations with model predictions. Thus, at the process level, explicit characterization of these links and their associated feedbacks is critical for a holistic understanding of orogenic system evolution."
The data sets used by the authors have been developed from a wide range of analytical approaches and experts, including Robert D. Hatcher Jr., to whom the volume is dedicated. Case studies cover a wide range of ancient to modern orogens: the Svecofennian of southern Finland, the Gyeonggi Massif of Korea, the Caledonides of northern Scotland, the Variscan of the East European craton, the Appalachians of the eastern United States, the European Alps and Dinarides, north Cascades of the northwestern United States, and the Himalaya.
###
Individual copies of the volume may be purchased through The Geological Society of America online store, http://rock.geosociety.org/Store/detail.aspx?id=MWR213, or by contacting GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.
Book editors of earth science journals/publications may request a review copy by contacting April Leo, aleo@geosociety.org.
Linkages and Feedbacks in Orogenic Systems
edited by Richard D. Law, J. Ryan Thigpen, Arthur J. Merschat, and Harold Stowell
Geological Society of America Memoir 213
MWR213, 372 p. + plate, ISBN 9780813712130
$95.00, member price $66.00
View the table of contents: http://rock.geosociety.org/store/TOC/MWR213-toc-preface.pdf