Viscous coupling at mid-oceanic ridges explaining puzzling Pacific Plate motions

Viscous coupling at mid-oceanic ridges explaining puzzling Pacific Plate motions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article Viscous coupling at mid-oceanic ridges explaining puzzling Pacific Plate motions Douwe van Hinsbergen, Erik van der Wiel, Cedric Thieulot, Carl Guilmette, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8302131/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Motions of subducting tectonic plates are explained by slab pull, ridge push, and possibly mantle drag1,2. Non-subducting oceanic plates are surrounded by only ridges and transform faults and are expected to move much slower than subducting plates, if moving at all. Surprisingly, however, the Pacific Plate was non-subducting for most of its first ~140 million years while attaining plate speeds of 5-9 cm/yr6,7. These rates are even faster than those of many subducting plates and the physical driver of this large motion remains puzzling. Here we show by 3D numerical modeling experiments that oceanic plates appear to be viscously coupled across the mid-ocean ridge to their oceanic neighbor such that plate motion can be transferred despite active ridge spreading. The plate coupling occurs underneath the weak magmatic ridge where the stronger depleted underlying mantle transfers plate stress and motion. Such viscous plate coupling provides a novel explanation why the early Pacific Plate trailed its fastest-moving subducting northern neighbors5 by being pulled NNW across their shared mid-oceanic ridge. A global implication of such stress transfer between adjacent oceanic plates is that a large regional change in the forcing of one plate will propagate globally, offering a conceptual explanation for global plate reorganizations. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geodynamics Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Tectonics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryFigure1.docx Model setup SupplementaryTable1.docx Modelling parameters Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8302131","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":556952451,"identity":"d793df82-6ac8-412f-9015-395888c1841a","order_by":0,"name":"Douwe van 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