Comment on "Intermittent plate tectonics?".
Silver and Behn (Reports, 4 January 2008, p. 85) proposed that intermittent plate tectonics may resolve a long-standing paradox in Earth's thermal evolution. However, their analysis misses one important term, which subsequently brings their main conclusion into question. In addition, the Phanerozoic eustasy record indicates that the claimed effect of intermittency is probably weak.
Korenaga
Jun
J
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, Post Office Box 208109, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA. jun.korenaga@yale.edu