Tectonic motion and stability of coordinates

[Bill93]

For anyone interested in what goes on in making a coordinate reference frame deal with tectonic motion, NGS has a recent paper about the upcoming 2022 redefinition that will replace NAD83.

 

It won't obsolete our handheld or car GPS receivers. But in order to work at cm level, there are many factors to consider. No fixed model can remain that accurate over time, due to not only the main tectonic motion, but distortions in the tectonic plate itself.

 

The first part of the paper is very readable without a math background, although later it does get dense. I found the first few figures quite interesting.