What is the Wilson cycle in plate tectonics?

The Wilson cycle is a geophysical model describing the opening and closing of ocean basins along with the subduction and divergence of tectonic plates. It plays a fundamental role in the assembly and disassembly of supercontinents. Named after geophysicist John Tuzo Wilson, the cycle is believed to have started around 3 billion years ago during the Archean Eon.

What we know

• The Wilson cycle model describes the opening and closing of ocean basins and the subduction and divergence of tectonic plates during supercontinent assembly and disassembly. [1, 2]
• A classic example of the Wilson cycle is the opening and closing of the Atlantic Ocean. [2]
• It has been suggested that Wilson cycles on Earth began about 3 billion years ago in the Archean Eon. [2] · medium confidence
• The model of seabed expansion and contraction is named after Canadian geophysicist John Tuzo Wilson. [4]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureHow do supercontinents aggregate and disperse over time?
• whoWho was John Tuzo Wilson and what else did he discover?
• compared withWhat is the rock cycle and how does it relate to plate tectonics?
• a case in pointHow does the Atlantic Ocean demonstrate the Wilson cycle?
• whenWhen did Wilson cycles begin in Earth's history?
• an unexpected connectionHow are deep mantle provinces named after geophysicists?One of the two large low-shear-velocity provinces in the Earth's mantle was named Tuzo after John Tuzo Wilson, while the other was named Jason after W. Jason Morgan.

Sources

• [1]Wilson cycle (Wikidata Q35706922) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Wilson Cycle · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Rock cycle · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]John Tuzo Wilson · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Supercontinent cycle · CC BY-SA 4.0