{"id":{"repo_id":"rice","oai_identifier":"oai:repository.rice.edu:1911/20591"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/rice/oai:repository.rice.edu:1911/20591","repository":{"repo_id":"rice","name":"Rice University","base_url":"https://repository.rice.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Characterizing the southeast Caribbean-South American plate boundary at 64°W","abstract":"The crustal and lithospheric structure of the northern South America plate boundary with the southeast Caribbean has been the focus of many studies. In this region, westward subduction of (Atlantic) oceanic South America transitions to east-west transform between continental South America and the Caribbean plate. Previous models invoke a poorly-constrained component of north-south convergence between the Caribbean and continental South America, predicting that the westward subduction transitions to northwest-dipping subduction beneath the Serrania del Interior. These models predict that continental crust extends north of the Venezuela coast beneath the Leeward Antilles remnant arc islands, and that the Leeward Antilles are accreting onto South America. The results presented in this dissertation determine instead that the dextral strike-slip system along the Venezuelan coast cuts near-vertically through the crust and offsets the Moho. The strike-slip system fundamentally defines the plate boundary, deriving from a shear tear through the entire lithosphere that is actively propagating north of the Paria peninsula. This shear tear detaches subducting oceanic crust from buoyant continental crust along the weakened, former passive margin. Thrust faults flanking the strike-slip system to the north and south dip systematically toward the plate boundary. These faults have been previously interpreted as delineating a 300 km-wide diffuse plate boundary zone, caused by oblique convergence partitioned into orthogonal thrust and strike-slip displacements. Instead, these faults are driven largely by vertical rather than horizontal tectonics, and are the result of the geodynamic response to the shear tear.","abstract_html":"The crustal and lithospheric structure of the northern South America plate boundary with the southeast Caribbean has been the focus of many studies. In this region, westward subduction of (Atlantic) oceanic South America transitions to east-west transform between continental South America and the Caribbean plate. Previous models invoke a poorly-constrained component of north-south convergence between the Caribbean and continental South America, predicting that the westward subduction transitions to northwest-dipping subduction beneath the Serrania del Interior. These models predict that continental crust extends north of the Venezuela coast beneath the Leeward Antilles remnant arc islands, and that the Leeward Antilles are accreting onto South America. The results presented in this dissertation determine instead that the dextral strike-slip system along the Venezuelan coast cuts near-vertically through the crust and offsets the Moho. The strike-slip system fundamentally defines the plate boundary, deriving from a shear tear through the entire lithosphere that is actively propagating north of the Paria peninsula. This shear tear detaches subducting oceanic crust from buoyant continental crust along the weakened, former passive margin. Thrust faults flanking the strike-slip system to the north and south dip systematically toward the plate boundary. These faults have been previously interpreted as delineating a 300 km-wide diffuse plate boundary zone, caused by oblique convergence partitioned into orthogonal thrust and strike-slip displacements. Instead, these faults are driven largely by vertical rather than horizontal tectonics, and are the result of the geodynamic response to the shear tear.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Clark, Stephen Anthony"],"institution":"Rice University","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Natural Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Levander, Alan R."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2007,"date_issued":"2007","date_published":"2007","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:10:17Z","subjects":["Geophysics"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1911/20591","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Levander, Alan R."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Clark, Stephen Anthony"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2009-06-03T21:07:13Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2009-06-03T21:07:13Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2007"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Natural Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Rice University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Geophysics"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/1911/20591"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The crustal and lithospheric structure of the northern South America plate boundary with the southeast Caribbean has been the focus of many studies. In this region, westward subduction of (Atlantic) oceanic South America transitions to east-west transform between continental South America and the Caribbean plate. Previous models invoke a poorly-constrained component of north-south convergence between the Caribbean and continental South America, predicting that the westward subduction transitions to northwest-dipping subduction beneath the Serrania del Interior. These models predict that continental crust extends north of the Venezuela coast beneath the Leeward Antilles remnant arc islands, and that the Leeward Antilles are accreting onto South America. The results presented in this dissertation determine instead that the dextral strike-slip system along the Venezuelan coast cuts near-vertically through the crust and offsets the Moho. The strike-slip system fundamentally defines the plate boundary, deriving from a shear tear through the entire lithosphere that is actively propagating north of the Paria peninsula. This shear tear detaches subducting oceanic crust from buoyant continental crust along the weakened, former passive margin. Thrust faults flanking the strike-slip system to the north and south dip systematically toward the plate boundary. These faults have been previously interpreted as delineating a 300 km-wide diffuse plate boundary zone, caused by oblique convergence partitioned into orthogonal thrust and strike-slip displacements. Instead, these faults are driven largely by vertical rather than horizontal tectonics, and are the result of the geodynamic response to the shear tear."]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Characterizing the southeast Caribbean-South American plate boundary at 64°W"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Levander, Alan R."],"dc:creator":["Clark, Stephen Anthony"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2009-06-03T21:07:13Z"],"dc:date.available":["2009-06-03T21:07:13Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2007"],"dc:description.abstract":["The crustal and lithospheric structure of the northern South America plate boundary with the southeast Caribbean has been the focus of many studies. In this region, westward subduction of (Atlantic) oceanic South America transitions to east-west transform between continental South America and the Caribbean plate. Previous models invoke a poorly-constrained component of north-south convergence between the Caribbean and continental South America, predicting that the westward subduction transitions to northwest-dipping subduction beneath the Serrania del Interior. These models predict that continental crust extends north of the Venezuela coast beneath the Leeward Antilles remnant arc islands, and that the Leeward Antilles are accreting onto South America. The results presented in this dissertation determine instead that the dextral strike-slip system along the Venezuelan coast cuts near-vertically through the crust and offsets the Moho. The strike-slip system fundamentally defines the plate boundary, deriving from a shear tear through the entire lithosphere that is actively propagating north of the Paria peninsula. This shear tear detaches subducting oceanic crust from buoyant continental crust along the weakened, former passive margin. Thrust faults flanking the strike-slip system to the north and south dip systematically toward the plate boundary. These faults have been previously interpreted as delineating a 300 km-wide diffuse plate boundary zone, caused by oblique convergence partitioned into orthogonal thrust and strike-slip displacements. Instead, these faults are driven largely by vertical rather than horizontal tectonics, and are the result of the geodynamic response to the shear tear."],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1911/20591"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder."],"dc:subject":["Geophysics"],"dc:title":["Characterizing the southeast Caribbean-South American plate boundary at 64°W"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Natural Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"thesis:institution_name":["Rice University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:10:17Z"}