GPlates is free, open-source desktop software from the EarthByte group at the University of Sydney for reconstructing and visualising plate tectonics through geological time. Geologists, geophysicists, teachers and students use it to move continents and ocean floors back in time according to plate motion models and to see where geological data was located millions of years ago.
Shows how continents and ocean floors moved through geological time.
The program combines vector, raster and volume data in one view, supports published plate motion models and calculates plate velocities and other kinematic data. Projects and session files keep work organised, and the pyGPlates Python library allows scripting. The portable edition runs from a folder without installation, and recent versions need a 64-bit system and a modern OpenGL graphics card.
Features:
- Interactive plate tectonic reconstructions
- Vector, raster and volume data
- Support for plate motion models
- Plate velocity and kinematic calculations
- Projects and session files
- No installation needed
