The Tectonic Fulcrum of Civilization: Deep Mantle Dynamics, Suture Zones, and the Persistent Resource Node of Anatolia
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Traditional historiography predominantly equates the emergence of "civilization" with the invention of writing, centralized bureaucracy, and alluvial hydraulic states. This paper challenges this paradigm by introducing a "System of Systems" (SoS) framework that couples deep-Earth geodynamics with human socio-technological evolution. Focusing on Anatolia’s central plateau and its tectonic suture zones, we posit that the region has functioned as a persistent "tectonic fulcrum"—a natural thermal pump and stress-concentration node—from the Neolithic obsidian economies to 21st-century Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) and Rare Earth Elements (REEs). By synthesizing structural geology, tectonic mechanics, and diachronic archaeological data, this study demonstrates how planetary-scale geodynamic processes dictate the long-term trajectory of human innovation and resource localization.
Author: demirpolat, cihan
Language: English
Subfield: Geology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225577511