Rapid Continental Reorganization Through Hydraulic Collapse: A Solution to the Heat Problem in Catastrophic Plate Tectonics

Date: 2025-11-22
DOI Concept: 10.5281/zenodo.17663309
Status: Version 2 description for Appendix C release

This paper proposes a hydraulic collapse mechanism for rapid, global-scale tectonic reorganization that solves the heat dissipation problem plaguing conventional catastrophic plate tectonic models. Rather than accelerating mantle convection, the mechanism invokes sudden failure of hydraulic seals in a fluid-rich pre-flood lithosphere, enabling continental and oceanic blocks to hydroplane on thin water films along shallow detachment horizons. Energy dissipation occurs primarily in water rather than through viscous shear in mantle rock, reducing heat generation by orders of magnitude while maintaining rapid surface motion.

The model operates within Earth's fixed water budget, invoking redistribution from distributed crustal storage to concentrated ocean basins and mantle transition zone reservoirs. It produces structured deposition during catastrophic conditions through hydraulic sorting, ecological zonation preservation, and basin-scale processes, and transitions naturally into the mantle-convection-driven plate tectonic regime observed today.

The framework generates testable predictions distinguishing it from both uniformitarian processes and geothermally driven catastrophic models, including signatures of rapid slip along large-scale detachments, chaotic megabreccias at basin boundaries, pressure and thermal anomalies indicating rapid burial, and geochemical signatures of massive fluid flow.

Version 2 includes supplementary material:

Appendix C provides Earth-system context for hydraulic collapse, quantifying atmospheric heat export mechanisms that operate during global inundation. Order-of-magnitude calculations demonstrate evaporative heat flux of ~100-400 W/m² during peak thermal stress and storm-driven vertical transport of ~10¹⁵-10¹⁶ W. These atmospheric pathways provide approximately 60× additional heat dissipation capacity beyond the primary water-mediated friction mechanism, demonstrating substantial margin against thermal runaway even under conservative assumptions. The appendix positions these calculations as conceptual extensions requiring further quantitative development rather than load-bearing components of the core mechanism.

Files included:

• Main paper: Rapid Continental Reorganization Through Hydraulic Collapse
• Supplementary: Appendix C - Earth-System Context for Hydraulic Collapse

Metadata Summary

Title:
Rapid Continental Reorganization Through Hydraulic Collapse: A Solution to the Heat Problem in Catastrophic Plate Tectonics

Authors:
James (JD) Longmire

Affiliation:
Northrop Grumman Fellow (unaffiliated research)

ORCID:
0009-0009-1383-7698

Publication Type:
Preprint

License:
CC BY 4.0

Keywords:

• Catastrophic plate tectonics
• Hydraulic collapse
• Heat dissipation
• Effective stress theory
• Water-mediated friction
• Dilatancy
• Flood geology
• Testable predictions

Version History:

• v1 (original): Main paper only
• v2 (this version): Main paper + Appendix C (Earth-system context)
• v3 (planned): + Heat Transport via Dilatant Shear Mechanics (companion paper)

Files for Upload

1. Rapid-Continental-Reorganization-Hydraulic-Collapse.pdf

   • Main paper (primary contribution)
   • ~50 pages

2. Appendix-C-Earth-System-Context.pdf

   • Supplementary material (atmospheric heat export)
   • ~12 pages

Version Notes

What's new in v2:

• Added Appendix C quantifying atmospheric heat export mechanisms
• Demonstrates ~60× additional heat dissipation capacity
• Provides broader Earth-system context for hydraulic collapse
• Positions atmospheric calculations as conceptual extensions

What stayed the same:

• Main paper content unchanged
• Core mechanism remains water-mediated friction dissipation
• All testable predictions unchanged