Geoscience Canada

Vol. 51 No. 4 (2024)
GAC Medallist Series

Logan Medallist 9. Geological Studies in the Northern Appalachian Orogen – Past, Present, and Future

Accès restreint aux abonnés-es ou avec frais PDF (English) (CAD 30)
  • Sandra M. Barr
Sandra M. Barr
Professor Emerita, Department of Earth and Environmental Science Acadia University Wolfville, Nova Scotia, B4P 2R6, Canada
DOI : https://doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2024.51.216

Publié-e 2024-12-19

Mots-clés

  • Appalachian geology,
  • Geosynclines,
  • Harold Williams,
  • Historical geology,
  • Tuzo Wilson

Comment citer

Barr, S. M. (2024). Logan Medallist 9. Geological Studies in the Northern Appalachian Orogen – Past, Present, and Future. Geoscience Canada, 51(4), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2024.51.216
Mention de droit d'auteur

Résumé

L'orogène des Appalaches septentrionales a joué un rôle essentiel dans les premières études géologiques des ceintures orogéniques. L'influence globale qu'il a exercée pendant 100 ans en tant que « zone type » pour la théorie géosynclinale de Hall-Dana a opportunément changé d'orientation avec le classique article de Tuzo Wilson, publié en 1966, qui posait (et répondait) à la question « L'Atlantique s'est-il fermé puis rouvert ? » et a conduit à la vision moderne de la tectonique globale basée sur le « cycle de Wilson ». Rétrospectivement, ces premières idées sur la formation des montagnes ont été largement entravées par le manque de détails factuels. La carte de l'orogène des Appalaches de 1978, compilée et dessinée à la main par Harold Williams et ses étudiants, était et reste un exemple remarquable d'œuvre d'art géologique, bien que la complexité réelle de l'orogène qu'elle représente ait été à peine imaginée. Cependant, les éléments tectoniques et les corrélations le long de l'orogène qu'elle a établis constituent toujours l'essence de nos modèles actuels, mais ils sont désormais étayés par une abondance d'informations géologiques collectées régulièrement au cours des dernières décennies du 20e siècle, et plus rapidement grâce aux progrès technologiques des 25 dernières années. Les exemples incluent le système mondial de positionnement (Global Positioning System) qui fournit des localisations précises, les méthodes géochimiques et géophysiques avancées, les ordinateurs et l'internet en général, et le développement de techniques de datation absolue exactes et précises, en particulier la datation U–Pb sur zircon. Les études sur les Appalaches couvrent aujourd'hui un spectre allant de petites zones étudiées en détail à des interprétations à l'échelle de l'orogène et à l'échelle mondiale qui permettent de remonter aux origines des composants des Appalaches. Nous en savons désormais bien plus sur l'orogène que quiconque aurait pu l'imaginer en 1978. Il n'est pas surprenant que toutes ces nouvelles connaissances aient permis de résoudre de nombreuses questions posées dans les années 1970, mais il n'est pas surprenant non plus que de nombreuses autres questions aient été soulevées. Il semble que chaque nouvelle carte, chaque nouvelle interprétation ou chaque nouveau modèle nous posent de nouvelles questions. Il semble peu probable que les géoscientifiques puissent un jour se contenter de dire « C’est fait. Nous avons tout compris ».

Accès restreint aux abonnés-es ou avec frais PDF (English) (CAD 30)

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