TheWilson Cycle is a model that describes the opening and closing ofocean basins and thesubduction and divergence oftectonic plates during the assembly and disassembly ofsupercontinents. A classic example of the Wilson Cycle is the opening and closing of theAtlantic Ocean. It has been suggested that Wilson cycles on Earth started about 3Ga in theArchean Eon.^[1] The Wilson Cycle model was a key development in the theory of plate tectonics during thePlate Tectonics Revolution.

The model is named afterJohn Tuzo Wilson in recognition of his iconic observation that the present-dayAtlantic Ocean appears along a formersuture zone^[2] and his development in a classic 1968 paper^[3] of what was later named the "Wilson cycle" in 1975 byKevin C. A. Burke, a colleague and friend of Wilson.^[4]

The Wilson cycle theory is based upon the idea of an ongoing cycle of ocean closure,continental collision, and a formation of new ocean on the former suture zone. The Wilson Cycle can be described in six phases of tectonic plate motion: the separation of acontinent (continentalrift), formation of a young ocean at the seafloor, formation ofocean basins duringcontinental drift, initiation ofsubduction, closure of ocean basins due to oceaniclithospheric subduction, and finally,collision of two continents and closure of the ocean basins.^[4] The first three stages (Embryonic, Young, Mature) describe the widening of the ocean and the last three stages (Declining, Terminal, and Relic Scar/Geosuture) describe the closing of the ocean and creation of mountain ranges like theHimalayas.^[3]

In the 21st century, insights fromseismic imaging and other techniques have led to updates to the Wilson Cycle to include relationships between activation of rifting andmantle plumes.^[4] Plume-induced rifting and rifting-induced mantle upwelling can explain the high correlation of ages oflarge igneous provinces and the break-up age for these margins.

A case study of the Wilson Cycle can be seen with the development of the Atlantic Ocean. Various parts of the modern day Atlantic Ocean opened at different times over theMesozoic toCenozoic periods following the Wilson Cycle. Seafloor spreading in the central Atlantic Ocean likely occurred around 134-126 Ma onPan-African Orogenic andRheic sutures. South Atlantic Oceanseafloor spreading began along theCongo-Sao Francisco Craton around 112 Ma. Following theNorth Atlantic Igneous Province eruptions around 55 Ma, the northern Atlanticpassive margins rifted to their present state.

From the case of the Atlantic Ocean, Wilson Cycle plate margins can broadly be described as having the following attributes:

1. Former collision zones, young, and old sutures are where continental break-up can most readily occur;
2. Oceanic transfer faults, which can reactivate young and old sutures;
3. Large igneous provinces, which do not always lead to continental break-up.

A Wilson cycle is distinct from thesupercontinent cycle, which is the break-up of onesupercontinent and the development of another and takes place on a global scale. The Wilson cycle rarely synchronizes with the timing of a supercontinent cycle.^[5] However, both supercontinent cycles and Wilson cycles were involved in the formation ofPangaea and ofRodinia.

The 50-year retrospective in theGeological Society of London Special Paper 470^[4] provides an excellent nuanced view of how these concepts fit together. They conclude, "Whether it is termed the Wilson Cycle, or the more encompassing Supercontinent Cycle, the tectonic episodicity identified by Tuzo Wilson in his 1966 paper defines a fundamental aspect of Earth's tectonic, climatic and biogeochemical evolution over much of its history."

• Scientific models
• Plate tectonics

• CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata