Wilson Cycle

Phases of Wilson cycle: From ten o'clock position clockwise: (10) initial pre-drift extension, (12) rift-to-drift phase, initial opening of an oceanic basin, (2 and 4) seafloor spreading, widening of the basin, (6) subduction of oceanic lithosphere, closure of the basin, (8) continent-continent collision

The Wilson Cycle is a model that describes the opening and closing of ocean basins and the subduction and divergence of tectonic plates during the assembly and disassembly of supercontinents. A classic example of the Wilson Cycle is the opening and closing of the Atlantic Ocean. It has been suggested that Wilson cycles on Earth started about 3 Ga in the Archean Eon. The Wilson Cycle model was a key development in the theory of plate tectonics during the Plate Tectonics Revolution.

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