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The Dynamic Earth
This booklet gives a brief introduction to the concept of plate tectonics and complements the visual and written information in This Dynamic Planet, a map published in 1994 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Smithsonian Institution. The booklet highlights some of the people and discoveries that advanced the development of the theory and traces its progress since its proposal. Although the general idea of plate tectonics is now widely accepted, many aspects still continue to confound an
- Author
- W. Jacquelyne Kious & Robert I. Tilling
- Publisher
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Source
- LibreTexts
- License
- CC0 / Public domain
- Language
- EN
- Category
- Basic Sciences
Contents· 18 sections
- 01: Historical Perspective
- 1.01: Alfred Lothar Wegener
- 1.02: Inside the Earth
- 1.03: Polar dinosaurs in Australia
- 1.04: What is a Tectonic Plate
- 02: Developing the Theory
- 2.01: Harry Hammond Hess
- 2.02: Exploring the deep ocean floor
- 2.03: Magnetic Stripes and Isotopic Clocks
- 03: Understanding Plate Tectonics
- 3.01: The Himalayas
- 04: Hotspots- Mantle Thermal Plumes
- 4.01: Tuzo Wilson
- 4.02: The long trail of the Hawaiian hotspot
- 05: Some Unanswered Questions
- 5.01: What went on before the break-up of Pangaea
- 06: Plate Tectonics and Humans
- 6.01: Plate Tectonics and People