continental convergence
The role of ductile shear zones in plate convergence
Lithospheric-scale ductile shear zones (thrust, transpressive or transcurrent ) accommodate the bulk of plate convergence. Ductile shear-zones accommodate hundred of kilometers of displacement across a narrow zone at the most a few tens of kilometer across. Satellite images are of great help to locate major paleo-plate boundaries. The image below shows the south coast of Madagascar with the Baraketa SZ runing NNE. This granulite facies shear zone is related to the build-up of Gondwana 580 to 520 Myr ago.