A New Idea for Studying Geometry of Supercontinent Breakup:the Application of Truncated Icosahedra
超大陆裂解几何学研究新思路——截顶正二十面体模型的应用

Truncated icosahedra is one of the most widely used spherical tensility modules. Under uniform extension, spherical shell tends to break up along the edge of this module. Previous workers tried to use truncated icosahedra to explain the distribution of rifting system, anorogenic magmatism and dyke swarms of Laurentia and Gondwana in a global view. On such a basis, the authors have used this module to explain the distribution of the present mid-ocean ridge, the contour of the Great Rift Valley and the distribution of the rifting system of the North China Craton dated 1.80 Ga. According to this module, when its radius is unit 1, its edge should be 23.3o. If we use Earth's even radius, the length of the longest straight line rift is 2589.53 km, and the angle of pentagon and hexagon is 111.4o and 124.3o respectively. That is, a rift longer than 2589.53 km would turn at an angle of 120o or so.