A Model for the Gross Structure, Petrology, and Magnetic Properties of Oceanic Crust

R.A. Daly’s early model of seafloor generation 40 years before the Vine–Matthews hypothesis: an outstanding theoretical achievement inspired by field work on St. Helena in 1921–1922

“…Many other marine geologists and geophysicists (notably at Cambridge University and the Imperial College London, see, e.g., Vine 2003) maintained that at least the upper parts of the oceanic crust was predominantly composed of basalts (as Hess did too during the 1950s, e.g., Hess 1955). Thus, there were contradicting views on fundamental questions mostly due to sparse, equivocal, or ambiguous data from marine geophysics and numerical (magnetic) modeling (e.g., Vine and Moores 1972). A way out of these problems could be provided by field studies of presumably oceanic rock complexes.…”

“…It is furthermore suggested that Daly's geotectonic proposals were inspired by small-scale analogues of lava flows and multiple dike swarms he observed on Atlantic islands such as St. Helena and Ascension. His model to account for the construction of new oceanic crust is reminiscent of the models of Vine and Moores (1972) and Cann (1970) which eventually led to the "Penrose-definition" of ophiolites in 1972. As these scientists arrived at their conclusions absolutely independently of Daly, this episode is an instructive example of a multiple or repeated discovery in the Earth Sciences which renders it difficult to believe certain theories of science which assume scientific models to depend mostly on social factors.…”

“…Il est de plus suggéré que ses propositions géotechniques étaient inspirées par des faits analogues, à petite échelle, d'écoulements de lave et d'essaims de dykes multiples qu'il a observés sur des îles de l'Atlantique telles que Sainte-Hélène et l'Ascension. Son modèle pour tenir compte de la construction de nouvelle croûte océanique fait penser aux modèles de Vine et Moores (1972) et Cann (1970, lesquels ont éventuellement conduit à la définition « Penrose » d'ophiolites en 1972. Alors que ces scientifiques sont arrivés à leurs conclusions de façon absolument indépendante de Daly, cet épisode constitue un exemple instructif d'une découverte multiple ou répétée en sciences de la Terre qui fait qu'il est difficile de croire certaines théories scientifiques qui assument que les modèles scientifiques reposent principalement sur des facteurs sociaux.…”

Paleomagnetic and Rock Magnetic Properties of Hole 896A

“…Our understanding of the magnetization of the oceanic crust comes largely from Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) drilling (e.g., Furuta and Levi, 1983;Smith and Banerjee, 1986;Pariso and Johnson, 1991) and from ophiolites (e.g., Vine and Moores, 1972;Banerjee, 1980). Within these studies, ODP Hole 504B holds a special place as the deepest hole in ocean basement, penetrating 1.8 km of oceanic basement, including more than 1 km of sheeted dikes.…”

A Geochemical Study of Crustal Plutonic Rocks from the Southern Mariana Trench Forearc: Relationship to Volcanic Rocks Erupted during Subduction Initiation

“…In Vine and Moores [1972] and Moores and Jackson [1974], they proposed that the extensional process that magmatically fed and sustained the extensional regime had been formed by the mid-ocean ridge seafloor spreading model described by Vine and Matthews [1963]. This definition of ophiolites persisted for decades and is still the primary explanation (if only in the classroom) for ophiolite sequences, despite well established evidence for other environments forming the same sequences that are actually obducted more easily than MOR ocean crust.…”