Ancient Seafloor Ridges

Paper Summary:

This paper investigates if the ancient seafloor ridges, Shirshov Rise and Bowers Ridge, are features of old subduction zones or hotspot tracks. After reviewing four articles, the paper concludes that there still is much to be learned about the formation, age and tectonic truths of ancient seafloor ridges like Bowers and Shirshov. The paper indicates that the evidence points to these ridges having been formed by volcanic activity, such as hotspots and spreading, but, at this time, they are likely subduction zones.

Table of Contents:
Are the Shirshov Rise and Bowers Ridge Features Old Subduction Zones or Hotspot Tracks?
Article: "Shock Dynamics: Alaska" (http://www.newgeology.us)
But, is Bowers Ridge An Old Subduction Zone?
Article: B. Steinberger et. al. "Plate-Tectonic Reconstructions Predict Part of the Hawaiian Hotspot Track to be Preserved in the Bering Sea"
What is the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain?
So are the Bowers and Shirshov Rises or Ridges Old Subduction Zones?
Article: D. Scholl. "Viewing the Tectonic Evolution of the Kamchatka-Aleutian (KAT) Connection with an Alaska Crustal Extrusion Perspective"
Article: B. Hubbard "The Disappearing Island"
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Following that formation of a strike-slip zone, the separate Shirshov and Bowers Ridge "developed from the originally continuous and straight strike-slip zone." And that "supposed" oceanic plateau was originally part of the Hawaiian hotspot, Steinberger believes. The reconstruction of ancient geologic events, as Steinberger and his colleague Carmen Giana have suggested, including plate motion in the Bering Sea, means that Alaska may have "accommodated" the westward movement of the Bering Sea in relation to the North American plate."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hubbard, Bernard R. "The Disappearing Island." The Saturday Evening Post. December 17, 1932. pp. 10-11, 50-52.
• New Geology. "Shock Dynamics: Alaska." Retrieved May 4, 2008, from http://www.newgeology.us/presentation14.html.
• Scholl, David W. "Viewing the Tectonic Evolution of the Kamchatka-Aleutian (KAT) Connection With an Alaska Crustal Extrusion Perspective." In Volcanism and Subduction: The Kamchatka Region, Eds. John Eichelberger, Evgenii Gordeev, Minoru Kasahara, Pavel Izbekov, and Jonathan Lees. Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union, pp. 3-35.
• Steinberger, Bernhard, & Giana, Carmen. "Plate-Tectonic reconstructions predict part of the Hawaiian hotspot track to be preserved in the Bering Sea." Geology 35.5 (2007): 407-410.
• United States Geological Survey. "Shirshov Ridge Volcanic Belt (early Tertiary?) (Western Bering Sea, unit czv)." Retrieved May 4, 2008, from http://pubs.usgs.gov.

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