Direct measurement of plate motion by space geodesy
Medida directa del movimiento de las placas por geodesia espacial
- Date
- 1986-1990 · confidence high
- Place
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, United States
- Credited to
- NASA (VLBI, SLR), continuous GPS networks
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
What was discovered
Very-long-baseline interferometry and GPS measured for the first time, in real time, that the continents move at 2-10 cm/year, matching the rates inferred from the magnetic record. Continental drift went from inference to observation.
Site of JPL, coordinator of the first networks. Definitive empirical confirmation of Wegener.
What it led to
- GPS networks for seismic monitoring (deformation before earthquakes)
- Detection of slow earthquakes
- Terrestrial reference systems (ITRF)
Built on
Made possible
- Non-volcanic tremor and slow slip in subduction zones (Dragert and Obara)2001-2002
- GNSS geodesy
- Radar interferometry (InSAR)