Author Archives: gymnosperm

Further Conversations with Grok

Posted on October 20, 2026 by gymnosperm

Shatsky did not subduct very far. Maybe 100km, less than any existing flat slab except possibly Alaska, which is thought related to ridge subduction. Further, it is reputed to have ripped off the mantle lithosphere, after underplating the shists, from … Continue reading →

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NAVDAT Data in GPLATES

Posted on October 6, 2026 by gymnosperm

GPLATES puts this massive database of western US volcanism in motion and in perspective. The results are very interesting. Supposed contact with the Insular Terrain/Wrangellia/Baja BC does not show much increase in volcanic activity. Neither does the proposed entourage of … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate | Tagged Geology, science, Subduction | Leave a comment

Conversations with Grok

Posted on May 21, 2026 by gymnosperm

Ultimately this is about the Shatsky/Laramide. A review of WB zones in Plates2 reveals that no current flat slab approaches the 1150 km penetration required for Shatsky to displace and underplate the Wyoming craton. Do you seriously believe the slab … Continue reading →

Posted in Plate Tectonics | Tagged Geology, science, Subduction | Leave a comment

The Sloping Ascent of the Low Velocity Plume to Yellowstone Closely Matches the Proposed Path of the Shatsky Rise Beneath North America

Posted on May 3, 2026 by gymnosperm

Nelson and Grand (2018) used core waves to show a low velocity plume from the core/mantle boundary to the surface in the vicinity of Yellowstone. Their plume is steeply inclined, travelling half as far horizontally as vertically. Their paper provides … Continue reading →

Posted in Plate Tectonics | Leave a comment

North America Encounters the East Pacific Rise

Posted on March 12, 2026 by gymnosperm

The Yellowstone plume investigation keeps broadening. In the image below the heavy black line is the Pacific/Farallon ocean spreading ridge at ~30 million years ago when it first encountered North America. The current position of North America is outlined in … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Geology, Plate Tectonics | Tagged earth-science, Geology, Subduction | Leave a comment

CERES

Posted on December 28, 2025 by gymnosperm

The CERES program is run for NASA by Norman Loeb. CERES stands for Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System. Scanning radiometers on the satellites have measured the earth’s energy flux since the millenium and the results run counter to … Continue reading →

Posted in Greenhouse Effect | Tagged Climate Change | Leave a comment

The Newberry Trend

Posted on December 23, 2025 by gymnosperm

Most people have heard of the Yellowstone hotspot, an idea that has been around for half a century. Supporting this concept is a line of volcanism beginning in northern Nevada about 16.5 million years ago and getting more recent as … Continue reading →