{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.plate-tectonics","code":"thing-q7950","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q7950/","name":"plate tectonics","alternateNames":["morphotectonics","Mars tectonics"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.KNW"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"This model owns plate tectonics as a body of knowledge about the organisation, relative motion and interaction of lithospheric plates, including the assumptions, evidence and uncertainties of particular tectonic accounts.","purpose":"Enable an AI agent to recognise a plate-tectonic account, assess its evidential support and limitations, and decide which interpretations or reconstructions it can responsibly support.","scope":{"in":["Identification of lithospheric plates and the limits of treating them as rigid units","Relative plate motions, reference frames and geological time intervals","Plate boundaries, interactions and changes in boundary configuration","Explanations of plate motion and connections to mantle processes","Evidence, competing reconstructions and limits on tectonic inference"],"out":["Individual earthquake events, earthquake forecasting and site-specific seismic risk","Individual volcanoes, eruption dynamics and volcanic hazard management","Detailed mineral, rock and geochemical classifications","General mantle convection models beyond their connection to plate behaviour","Operational geodetic instruments, surveys and raw observation management","Planetary formation and evolution outside the applicability of plate tectonics"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["The account identifies moving lithospheric units; a description of continental displacement alone does not establish a plate-tectonic account.","Motion is expressed between plates or relative to an explicit reference frame, rather than as an unexplained absolute direction.","The account connects plate motion to interaction at boundaries, rather than merely mapping earthquakes, mountains or volcanoes.","It distinguishes the kinematic description of motion from hypotheses about the forces producing that motion.","It makes the spatial and temporal limits of rigid-plate assumptions inspectable, including regions of distributed deformation."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"tectonic-account-and-plate-units","name":"Tectonic Account and Plate Units","description":"Establishes what kind of tectonic account is represented and how it divides the lithosphere into moving units.","layers":[{"id":"account-identity","name":"Account Identity","description":"Locates the account within plate-tectonic knowledge and identifies its intended coverage.","findings":[{"id":"account-type-and-coverage","name":"Account Type and Coverage","description":"Record whether this is a framework, motion model, reconstruction or force explanation, with its geographical and temporal extent.","questions":[{"text":"Does this account describe plate organisation, estimate motion, reconstruct past configurations or explain driving forces?","id":"account-type-and-coverage-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which region or planet and which time interval does the account explicitly cover?","id":"account-type-and-coverage-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"plate-partition-and-rigidity","name":"Plate Partition and Rigidity","description":"Records plate membership and the adequacy of treating each unit as rigid.","findings":[{"id":"moving-unit-identification","name":"Moving Unit Identification","description":"Record proposed plate extents, independently moving blocks and regions where plate membership or rigidity is disputed.","questions":[{"text":"What evidence supports treating each named unit as a distinct lithospheric plate rather than a continent, terrane or deforming block?","id":"moving-unit-identification-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"At what spatial and temporal scales does internal deformation require subdivision or departure from a rigid-plate approximation?","id":"moving-unit-identification-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"plate-motion-and-reconstruction","name":"Plate Motion and Reconstruction","description":"Makes present and reconstructed motion interpretable through explicit frames, rotation parameters and age control.","layers":[{"id":"motion-reference-and-estimation","name":"Motion Reference and Estimation","description":"Captures how relative motion is defined and estimated.","findings":[{"id":"referenced-motion-estimate","name":"Referenced Motion Estimate","description":"Record plate pairs, reference frames, velocity or rotation estimates, estimation intervals and uncertainties.","questions":[{"text":"Relative to which plate or reference frame is motion expressed, and at which location is any linear velocity evaluated?","id":"referenced-motion-estimate-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What velocity or Euler rotation is estimated, over what interval, and with what uncertainty?","id":"referenced-motion-estimate-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"historical-configuration","name":"Historical Configuration","description":"Tracks the assumptions and constraints used to reconstruct earlier plate positions.","findings":[{"id":"reconstruction-chain","name":"Reconstruction Chain","description":"Record dated configurations, finite rotations and dependencies on plate circuits or reference choices.","questions":[{"text":"Which dated observations and rotation relationships constrain the reconstructed positions?","id":"reconstruction-chain-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Where do missing crust, uncertain ages or alternative plate circuits permit materially different reconstructions?","id":"reconstruction-chain-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"boundary-interactions-and-topology","name":"Boundary Interactions and Topology","description":"Represents how plates meet, interact and change their connections through time.","layers":[{"id":"boundary-segment-behaviour","name":"Boundary Segment Behaviour","description":"Connects boundary geometry with relative motion and the interaction inferred from it.","findings":[{"id":"boundary-interaction-assignment","name":"Boundary Interaction Assignment","description":"Record boundary location, neighbouring plates, motion components and the basis for assigning an interaction type.","questions":[{"text":"What are the boundary-normal and boundary-parallel motion components for this segment and interval?","id":"boundary-interaction-assignment-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What evidence distinguishes spreading, subduction, collision, transform motion or distributed deformation at this segment?","id":"boundary-interaction-assignment-q02","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"configuration-change","name":"Configuration Change","description":"Captures changes in boundary connections and plate identity.","findings":[{"id":"tectonic-reorganisation","name":"Tectonic Reorganisation","description":"Record proposed rifting, boundary initiation or cessation, plate capture and junction migration with their timing constraints.","questions":[{"text":"Which plates and boundary connections exist before and after the proposed reorganisation?","id":"tectonic-reorganisation-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which dated observations constrain the transition, and how precisely can its timing be resolved?","id":"tectonic-reorganisation-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"mechanisms-and-tectonic-consequences","name":"Mechanisms and Tectonic Consequences","description":"Separates descriptions of plate motion from explanations of its causes and interpretations of its consequences.","layers":[{"id":"driving-and-resisting-processes","name":"Driving and Resisting Processes","description":"Records proposed force contributions and their evidential status.","findings":[{"id":"force-explanation","name":"Force Explanation","description":"Record proposed contributions such as slab pull, gravitational potential differences and mantle tractions, including resisting processes and unresolved attribution.","questions":[{"text":"Which driving and resisting processes does the account propose for these plates and this interval?","id":"force-explanation-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What observations or calculations constrain those contributions beyond merely reproducing the observed motion?","id":"force-explanation-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"geological-consequence-links","name":"Geological Consequence Links","description":"Connects tectonic interactions to geological observations while retaining alternative explanations.","findings":[{"id":"consequence-attribution","name":"Consequence Attribution","description":"Record how the account explains patterns such as seismicity, magmatism, mountain building or basin development without assuming a unique cause.","questions":[{"text":"Which observed geological pattern is attributed to which plate interaction, and what supports that connection?","id":"consequence-attribution-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which additional processes or local conditions must be considered before using that connection to interpret a particular region?","id":"consequence-attribution-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-consistency-and-use","name":"Evidence, Consistency and Use","description":"Organises claim-level support, consistency checks and limits on downstream use.","layers":[{"id":"observational-constraints","name":"Observational Constraints","description":"Identifies the observations behind tectonic claims and their dependence on interpretation.","findings":[{"id":"claim-evidence-chain","name":"Claim-Evidence Chain","description":"Record the sources, processing assumptions and resolving power of evidence such as geodesy, magnetic anomalies, palaeomagnetism and seismic observations.","questions":[{"text":"Which accessible source and specific observation support each plate assignment, motion estimate or boundary interpretation?","id":"claim-evidence-chain-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What spatial, temporal and directional constraints does each observation provide, and which apparent constraints depend on assumptions?","id":"claim-evidence-chain-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"consistency-and-decision-limits","name":"Consistency and Decision Limits","description":"Assesses unresolved discrepancies and suitability for a proposed use.","findings":[{"id":"account-fitness-for-use","name":"Account Fitness for Use","description":"Record plate-circuit consistency, reconstruction gaps or overlaps, residual misfits and the implications for use or revision.","questions":[{"text":"Do motion circuits and reconstructed geometries remain consistent within uncertainty, and how are discrepancies explained?","id":"account-fitness-for-use-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Does the proposed use fall within the account's resolution and support, or must the agent obtain additional evidence or compare alternatives first?","id":"account-fitness-for-use-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain plate tectonics and the evidence for it, citing geological sources.","Distinguish established findings from contested local tectonic accounts.","Point users to official agencies for earthquake and volcanic hazard information."],"mustNot":["Predict specific earthquakes or eruptions without an official basis.","Present a disputed regional tectonic model as settled.","Spread alarm about hazards in a way that contradicts official warnings."],"requiresHuman":["Using tectonic models to set building or land-use rules."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Tectonic knowledge informs hazard planning that protects lives.","False predictions cause panic or complacency."],"affectedParties":["People in seismic and volcanic regions","Students","Planners and engineers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the knowledge; geological surveys answer for the hazard assessments they publish.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["National geological survey databases","Global earthquake catalogues"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q1863355","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.plate-tectonics","Wikidata: Q7950 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7950)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Account type: General framework; present-day kinematic model; historical reconstruction; dynamic explanation","Spatial coverage: Referenced planet, region, plates and boundary segments","Temporal coverage: Observation dates or geological interval in Ma, with an explicit age convention","Plate partition: Named plate units, their extents, adjacency and disputed assignments","Relative motion: Velocity in mm/yr with direction and location, or Euler pole coordinates and angular rate in degrees/Myr; reference frame and uncertainty required","Boundary behaviour: Divergent; convergent; transform; oblique or mixed; diffuse; unresolved, qualified by time interval","Rigid-plate adequacy: Adequate at stated scale; requires internal deformation; unresolved","Evidence support: Supported; contested; underconstrained; contradicted, assessed separately for each claim"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Classify an account as a plate-tectonic framework, kinematic model, reconstruction or dynamic explanation.","Compare motion estimates after checking their reference frames, time intervals and plate assignments.","Trace a proposed boundary interaction to its observations and modelling assumptions.","Identify where rigid-plate treatment fails or requires a deforming region.","Compare alternative reconstructions and identify observations that could discriminate between them.","Decide whether a tectonic account supports a proposed interpretation or requires additional evidence."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Treating plate tectonics as a method for predicting the exact time of an earthquake can create false confidence and unsafe decisions.","Using broad plate maps as substitutes for local geological assessments can misrepresent hazards to communities and infrastructure.","Presenting uncertain plate reconstructions as established detail can propagate errors into research and education."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Plate tectonics provides a framework for explaining the movement and interaction of Earth's lithospheric plates.","It is used in geology and geophysics to interpret earthquakes, volcanism, mountain building, ocean basins and past continental arrangements."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q7950: plate tectonics","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7950","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Plate tectonics","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does an existing Vercy world model already own plate tectonics or an equivalent concept, requiring this registry entry to link to it?","Which criteria and sources should govern distinctions among plates, microplates and deforming blocks at different scales?","Which present-day motion models and historical reconstructions should serve as reference accounts, and how should incompatible reference frames be reconciled?","How should confidence be represented when several tectonic claims depend on the same observations or reconstruction assumptions?","What evidence threshold should govern applying this framework to early Earth or another planet where plate-tectonic behaviour remains disputed?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q7950/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q7950/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-06T22:04:11Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"not-applicable","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"not-applicable","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:32+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties.","interaction.interfaces":"The scientific theory itself has no directly applicable product standard, law or official regulatory classification.","interaction.recognition":"Plate tectonics is a scientific theory rather than a directly perceptible object, although observations provide evidence for it."},"score":1.0}}