PLATES Project
Data format/description
This page is designed to provide metadata on the PLATES Project's data format. GPlates users and others may find it useful. PDFs are included to provide more detail. Comments/questions about the PLATES format can be directed to Marcy - please direct Gplates-related questions/comments to Gplates.
PLATES data format description - PLATES_data_description.pdf
The format is in ASCII. A file consists of a series of 'strings' for various line segments. A 'string' consists of a 2-line header followed by lines of latitude, longitude, pen-command. A string is terminated by
99.0000 99.0000 3
Pen-command is either 2 (pen down) or 3 (pen up).
The first line of the header consists of:
- a 4-digit reference number (iref) where the first two digits are the region number and the second two digits are the reference number,
- a 4-digit string number (istr),
- and a geographic description (astr - can be of any length) of the data.
The second line consists of
- a 3-digit plate identification number (id),
- the time of appearance (t1) and
- disappearance (t2) (in millions of years),
- a 2-letter code for the type of data (idtype),
- a 4-digit data type number (itype),
- a 3-digit plate identification number (can be same as id or be different, id2),
- a 3-digit color code (iclr),
- and a 5-digit code that states how many points are contained in the string (ipoint). I'm not sure if Gplates uses this.
Below are the read and format statements one might use in FORTRAN
read(2,1001,err=97,end=20) iref,istr,astr
read(2,1002) id,t1,t2,idtype,itype,id,iclr,ipoint
read(2,1004) xlat,xlon,ipen
1001 format(i4,i5,x,a30)
1002 format(x,i3,x,f6.1,x,f6.1,x,a2,i4,x,i3,x,i3,x,i5,x,a10)
1004 format(f9.4,1x,f9.4,x,i1)
Example below shows the string for the North Atlantic Ridge Axis
9201 2233 NORTH & CENTRAL ATLANTIC RIDGE AXIS
101 0.1 -999.0 RI 1 101 1 8
37.4118 -32.2971 3
37.1394 -32.3909 2
37.1760 -32.6448 2
37.0349 -32.7066 2
36.9175 -33.0039 2
99.0000 99.0000 3
The PLATES Project maintains a list of plate identification numbers, reference numbers & references, region numbers, and data type codes. Below are some examples you can use as templates for developing your own lists.
Plate_ID_numbers.pdf
Reference_format.pdf
RegionNumbers.pdf
dataType_codes.pdf
To convert PLATES-formated data into GMT format (for use with psxy -M), you can use the UNIX-compiled FORTRAN program
plates2gmt
NOTES:
- This format allows for a 3-digit plate ID number. Someone has noted that 4-digit plate ids do work for Plates2-formatted
rotation files in Gplates.
- Use the comment section of the rotation file to note why you moved a plate how you did. It's difficult to go back later & figure it out.
Rotation file format
The PLATES rotation files are ASCII, free-format -- that is no fixed-width for the variables. The lines represent Euler poles (latitude, longitude and angle of rotation between two plates or a plate and the globe. They are finite poles, not stage poles. A line from the file consists
of the moving plate ID number, age in millions of years, latitude, longitude, angle, and fixed plate. At the end of the line, a comment may be inserted.
Example
001 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.0 714 !NAM-NWA North America-Africa001 900.00 0.00 0.0 0.0 714 !NAM-NWA North America-Africa
101 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.0 714 !NAM-NWA North America-Africa
101 9.7 80.98 22.82 2.478 714 !NAM-NWA An5 Mueller et al. 1999
101 19.0 80.89 23.28 5.244 714 !NAM-NWA An6 Mueller et al. 1999
101 25.8 79.34 28.56 7.042 714 !NAM-NWA An8 Mueller et al. 1999
101 33.1 75.99 5.98 9.767 714 !NAM-NWA An13 Mueller et al. 1999
101 38.4 74.54 0.19 11.918 714 !NAM-NWA An18 Mueller et al. 1999
101 46.3 74.23 -5.01 15.106 714 !NAM-NWA An21 Mueller et al. 1999
101 52.4 77.34 -1.61 16.963 714 !NAM-NWA An24 Mueller et al. 1999
101 55.9 80.64 6.57 17.895 714 !NAM-NWA An25 Mueller et al. 1999
101 65.6 82.74 2.93 20.84 714 !NAM-NWA An30 Mueller et al. 1999
101 71.6 81.35 -8.32 22.753 714 !NAM-NWA An32 Mueller et al. 1999
101 79.1 78.64 -18.16 26.981 714 !NAM-NWA An30o Mueller et al. 1999
101 83.0 76.81 -20.59 29.506 714 !NAM-NWA An34 Mueller et al. 1999
201 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 701 !SAM-AFR South America-Africa
201 9.7 62.05 -40.59 3.18 701 !SAM-AFR An5 Mueller et al. 1999
201 19.0 58.77 -37.32 7.049 701 !SAM-AFR An6 Mueller et al. 1999
201 25.8 57.59 -36.27 9.962 701 !SAM-AFR An8 Mueller et al. 1999
201 33.1 56.17 -33.64 13.41 701 !SAM-AFR An13 Mueller et al. 1999
201 38.4 57.10 -33.00 15.912 701 !SAM-AFR An18 Mueller et al. 1999
201 46.3 56.95 -31.15 19.107 701 !SAM-AFR An21 Mueller et al. 1999
201 52.4 58.89 -31.18 21.38 701 !SAM-AFR An24 Mueller et al. 1999
201 55.9 61.35 -32.21 22.273 701 !SAM-AFR An25 Mueller et al. 1999
201 65.6 63.88 -33.61 24.755 701 !SAM-AFR An30 Mueller et al. 1999
201 71.6 63.41 -33.38 26.573 701 !SAM-AFR An32 Mueller et al. 1999
201 79.1 62.92 -34.36 30.992 701 !SAM-AFR An33o Mueller et al. 1999
201 83.0 61.88 -34.26 33.512 701 !SAM-AFR An34 Mueller et al. 1999
701 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 001 !SAM-AFR South America-Africa
701 9.7 59.3 -31.6 -1.89 001 !AFR-AHS An5 Mueller et al. 1993
701 19.0 50.9 -44.5 -4.36 001 !AFR-AHS An6 Mueller et al. 1993
701 33.1 40.3 -43.0 -7.91 001 !AFR-AHS An13 Mueller et al. 1993
701 38.4 37.7 -41.2 -9.65 001 !AFR-AHS An18 Mueller et al. 1993
701 46.3 32.8 -40.8 -12.09 001 !AFR-AHS An21 Mueller et al. 1993
701 55.9 30.1 -41.7 -13.89 001 !AFR-AHS An25 Mueller et al. 1993
701 67.67 26.4 -40.9 -16.23 001 !AFR-AHS An31 Mueller et al. 1993
701 73.6 22.3 -39.6 -17.80 001 !AFR-AHS An33y Mueller et al. 1993
701 79.1 18.0 -38.9 -19.98 001 !AFR-AHS An33o Mueller et al. 1993
701 83.0 19.0 -40.9 -21.53 001 !AFR-AHS An34 Mueller et al. 1993
714 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 701 !NWA-AFR Northwest Africa-Africa
714 83.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 701 !NWA-AFR
