In a groundbreaking advance in the understanding of Earth’s tectonic dynamics, researchers have unveiled a sophisticated three-dimensional spherical mantle convection model that captures the intricate interplay between Earth’s tectonic plates and the underlying mantle during episodes of plate reorganization. This new computational framework pushes the boundaries of geodynamic modeling by introducing Earth-like convective vigor, a pseudo-plastic rheology, and the inclusion of deformable continental rafts. These inclusions are essential in replicating realistic tectonic phenomena such as one-sided subduction, a fundamental mechanism driving plate motions and mantle dynamics. The model’s high-resolution demands—spatial scales down to 23 kilometers and temporal scales less than four millennia per time step—underscore the complexity and computational power poured into this research.
The mantle model further incorporates extreme viscosity gradients, including a pronounced jump by a factor of 30 at a depth of 660 kilometers, a feature supported by geophysical observations such as geoid anomalies and post-glacial rebound data. This steep viscosity contrast, coupled with strong temperature dependencies, facilitates the self-consistent generation of a low-viscosity asthenosphere in the simulations, redefining how mantle convection can be linked directly to plate tectonics. Moreover, the model introduces dense materials at the core–mantle boundary and incorporates thermal expansivity variations, which together dictate the architecture and movement of mantle plumes—features crucial to the deep Earth’s thermal and chemical regimes.
At the heart of this study is an innovative metric called “plateness,” which provides an objective quantitative measure of plate rigidity. Departing from earlier, more global definitions, this study’s plateness metrics (denoted P1 and P2) assess how well the observed surface velocities across a piece of the Earth’s sphere can be explained by a single rigid-body rotation. P1 captures the alignment between predicted velocities—derived from an optimal Euler rotation pole—and observed data velocity vectors, thus serving as a gauge of angular consistency. Meanwhile, P2 quantifies the relative magnitude of misfit between observed and predicted velocity vectors. By combining these two complementary measures, the researchers achieve a robust characterization of whether a given region behaves tectonically as a rigid plate or a deformable fragment.
To better reflect the heterogeneous nature of plate deformation, the authors introduced a spatially resolved rigidity criterion by partitioning each plate into smaller fragments of about 4.15 million square kilometers, roughly 0.81% of Earth’s surface. The rigidity is then tested not only at the plate scale but also for each fragment individually. This multi-scale approach enables the detection of localized weaknesses or strain within otherwise rigid plates, preventing erroneous plate identifications due to averaging effects. Benchmarked against present-day Earth velocity fields from the Global Strain Rate Model (GSRM v.2.1), critical threshold values for P1 and P2 were established at 0.90 and 0.80 respectively, thereby tailoring the criteria to Earth-like dynamics.
The study’s approach to plate tessellation—the decomposition of the Earth’s surface into polygons representing tectonic plates or potential plates—relies on state-of-the-art topological data analysis applied to the spatial gradients of surface velocity fields. By examining the L2 norm of velocity gradients, the researchers identify natural discontinuities or ‘boundaries’ between rigid blocks. Computing the Morse complex of this scalar field—and simplifying it based on a tunable persistence threshold—yields a hierarchy of polygon meshes ranging from over-segmented to under-segmented patterns. This process imposes a robust topological filtration that isolates physically meaningful boundaries corresponding to plate edges.
A distinguishing feature of the tessellation workflow is its adaptive tuning of the minimum persistence parameter, p_min, which governs the detection of boundaries. By varying p_min from zero to a maximum value through 24 incremental stages, the method generates a sequence of tessellations. The final map is not chosen from a single fixed p_min but results from spatially adaptive boundary selections that maximize polygon rigidity measured by the plateness criteria. This adaptive approach ensures that polygons are delineated at the coarsest possible scale compatible with rigidity, minimizing unnecessary fragmentation and enhancing the uniqueness of their solid-body rotation poles.
The distinction between rigid plates and deformable blocks is firmly grounded on strain rate thresholds derived from Earth’s observed tectonic behavior. Polygons where more than 90% of their surface exhibits strain rates above a critical low threshold (5×10⁻⁹ yr⁻¹) are categorized as deformable blocks, reflecting the diffuse deformation typical of plate boundary zones or lithospheric weak zones. This classification refines the tessellation framework by acknowledging that Earth’s lithosphere is not perfectly rigid and that significant internal deformation can complicate rigid-plate assumptions.
Tracking the temporal evolution of these polygons across geologic time presents unique challenges, which the study addresses using topological persistence diagrams and tracking algorithms. The centroid of each polygon serves as a representative feature, and its persistence pairing—linking the centroid to points on the polygon’s perimeter with maximal separation—is used as a hallmark for identification over sequential time steps. Using techniques such as the Lifted Wasserstein Matcher, the researchers finely track polygon shapes and migrations, enabling the reconstruction of plate kinematics and lineage over hundreds of millions of years within the model.
The dynamic lineage of tectonic plates is elegantly illustrated through the construction of plate graphs—directed acyclic graphs where vertices represent plates at various times and edges denote geometric inheritance or overlap between plates at consecutive time steps. Connectivity edges are established if plates at adjacent times share at least 40% of their respective surfaces, a criterion balancing graphical clarity and meaningful physical continuity. This graphical representation yields insights into the branching, merging, and fragmentation events that characterize plate tectonics in both the model and Earth’s tectonic past.
Utilizing advanced graph visualization tools such as Graphviz and heavy optimization of layout algorithms, the team crafted clear and interpretable diagrammatic renditions of the plate graph networks. Edges are weighted and bent preferentially to emphasize transitions between large plates and minimize visual clutter, providing an intuitive window into the mantle convection-driven evolution of Earth’s lithosphere. Supplementary figures extend this visualization across nearly half a billion years of model runtime, chronicling the intricate ebb and flow of plate reorganizations.
By defining “plate groups” as induced subgraphs within plate graphs, bounded in time windows, the researchers encapsulate collective plate behaviors over chosen intervals. This definition translates complex geodynamic interactions into coherent, analyzable subunits, allowing for the study of transient or persistent plate configurations. Such formulations enhance our ability to dissect tectonic reorganizations and understand the buildup and release of lithospheric stresses through time.
This comprehensive framework unites mantle convection modeling with strict but adaptive plate rigidity criteria, robust tessellation methodologies, advanced temporal tracking, and graph-theoretical abstractions. The synergy between these techniques propels the fields of geodynamics and tectonics toward a more unified and data-driven understanding of global plate reorganizations. The work not only reproduces Earth-like plate behavior but advances quantifiable diagnostics applicable to both observations and numerical models, paving the way for improved interpretations of past and present plate dynamics.
Overall, this study exemplifies a leap forward in the fusion of computational geophysics, topology, and tectonics, anchoring theories of plate motion in physically self-consistent mantle dynamics. It delineates a pathway to unravel the complexity of mantle-plate coupling through rigorous, scalable, and objective criteria validated by observations. As computational power and data availability continue to surge, methodologies inspired by this work are likely to underpin future breakthroughs in understanding Earth’s restless lithosphere.
The implications of these findings stretch beyond academic modeling. By harnessing nuanced topological tools, geoscientists can better predict how plate boundaries might evolve under shifting mantle flow regimes, offering insights critical for understanding seismic hazards and continental assembly or breakup processes. The capacity to dissect and visualize the lineage of plates dynamically offers fresh perspectives on the Earth’s tectonic past and the forces shaping its surface architecture.
Moving forward, applying this detailed reconstruction approach to a variety of mantle convection scenarios could elucidate mechanisms behind supercontinent cycles, plume-plate interactions, and the genesis of complex plate boundary networks. Coupled with paleomagnetic data and geologic constraints, such integrated models could reconstruct Earth’s evolutionary narrative with unprecedented fidelity.
Ultimately, this research galvanizes the concept of the lithosphere as a complex, evolving mosaic, shaped by convection-driven forces and refracted through the lens of mathematical rigor and computational precision. It lays the foundation for a new paradigm in Earth sciences where plate kinematics, mantle flow, and surface deformation are jointly analyzed within a singular, cohesive theoretical and practical framework.
Subject of Research: Geodynamics and tectonic plate reorganization through mantle convection modeling and topological data analysis.
Article Title: Geodynamics of a global plate reorganization from topological data analysis.
Article References:
Janin, A., Coltice, N., Chamot-Rooke, N. et al. Geodynamics of a global plate reorganization from topological data analysis. Nat. Geosci. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01772-7
