The 1999-2000 College of Arts & Sciences Lecture Series

Dr. David Valentino

Assistant Professor, Earth Sciences

SUNY Oswego

Vorticity in the Earth’s Crust: Mineral Grains to Mountain Range

Thursday, December 2, 1999, 4:00 p.m.
Steeper Bell Auditorium, Hewitt Union
SUNY Oswego
Reception Immediately Following

The process of material rotation is described as vorticity. Many processes in nature show signs of vorticity, such as tornadoes, waterspouts, and hurricanes. Most people are familiar with these rotating features. Although the rate is incredibly slow when compared to weather events, vorticity also occurs within the Earth's crust. During this seminar we will explore examples of vorticity in the Earth's crust and make comparisons of rotation rate with other natural processes. Rotation of minute mineral grains and small blocks of rock occurs in fault zones. Minerals and rocks that experience rotation in faults are known as porphyroclasts. The physical processes that cause rotation within a fault zone require slow fluid-like flow of the rock mass. At the boundaries of tectonic plates large masses of rock interact and sometimes cause large blocks to rotate in a way that is similar to the rotation of mineral grains. Recent geologic research in the Adirondack Highlands has discovered lozenge-shaped blocks of ancient North American crust that experienced vorticity approximately 1000 million years ago. The preliminary results of this new research will be used to illustrate large-scale vorticity in the Earth's crust. Additionally, the implications of this new research on the natural history of the Adirondacks will be highlighted during the seminar.

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Revised: February 8, 2000
URL: http://www.oswego.edu/cas/lectures9900/valentino.html