burchfiel and davis presented the first detailed paper that explained the antler orogeny and the roberts mountains thrust in terms of the subduction aspect of plate tectonics, stating: "... the paleogeography of this part of the cordilleran geosyncline probably consisted of an offshore island complex separated from the continental slope and shelf by a small ocean basin of behind-the-arc type. initial regional deformation within the cordilleran geosyncline—the mid-paleozoic antler orogeny—was characterized by the eastward displacement (roberts mountains thrust) of eugeosynclinal units from within the small ocean basin over miogeosynclinal strata deposited on the continental shelf." their now-outdated terms "eugeosynclinal" and "miogeosynclinal" refer respectively to the western facies and eastern facies domains. in that paper, burchfiel and davis set the parameters for future discussions of the nature and origins of the antler orogeny and associated thrusts. their basic concept of east-dipping subduction was reflected in modified form by others, including miller and others.