Many maps, in my view, are also work of art, regardless of their creators’ intentions. Some maps, however, are explicitly made as art, and as such are not designed to convey spatial information beyond that found in the mere geographical shapes that they contain. Increasingly, it can be difficult to tell whether a given map was created as cartographic art or as a visualization of scientific information.
Consider, for example, the three figures posted below. Two are derived from images posted on the intriguing Wayne Baisey Blogspot under the heading “World Map Art Large.” The other is taken from a Wikipedia article and is based on recent scientific research. Can you tell which is which?
The middle map is in some ways the most abstract, but its title gives it away: “The New Global Tectonic Map with the Subdivision of the Continents, Oceans, and Mobile Mountain Belts in Ca. 1200 Smaller Plates.” As this map shows, the Earth is divided into many tectonic plates – vastly more than those that are portrayed on conventional tectonic maps. As the author of the Wikipedia article “List of Tectonic plates,” where the map is found, argues, “The latest studies have shown that microplates are the basic elements of which the crust is composed…” (see the quotation below). As this author further explains, referring to the map posted above [and below] and to the scientific papers on which they are based:
Minor Plates: These smaller plates are often not shown on major plate maps, as the majority of them do not comprise significant land area. … For purposes of this list, a minor plate is any plate with an area less than 20 million km2 (7.7 million sq mi) but greater than 1 million km2 (0.39 million sq mi).These plates are often grouped with an adjacent principal plate on a tectonic plate world map. For purposes of this list, a microplate is any plate with an area less than 1 million km2. Some models identify more minor plates within current orogens (events that lead to a large structural deformation of Earth’s lithosphere like the Apulian, Explorer, Gorda, and Philippine Mobile Belt plates.The latest studies have shown that microplates are the basic elements of which the crust is composed and that the larger plates are composed of amalgamations of these, and a subdivision of ca. 1200 smaller plates has come forward.
I find this map visually striking and both scientifically and cartographically impressive. But I do think that the cartographer should have deleted the volcanos, portrayed as “yellow dots,” and placed them instead on a companion map. As it is, in areas that are rich in volcanoes the lines showing tectonic subdivisions are completely obscured (see the map detail posted below).
Needless to say, the conventional continents are not readily visible on this map. Some their coastlines, however, are apparently outlined in green as “terrane (microplate) boundaries in the continental blocks.” In actuality, however, these lines correspond to the boundaries of continental shelves, which are covered by the sea, rather than to the continents themselves. This important point will be elaborated in the next GeoCurrents post.