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The youth of the ocean floors (0- .3Ma) verses the age of plate tectonics (2-3 Ma) suggests strongly that plate tectonics is cyclic. Densified silicate liquid (Ls) at about 290 km depth suggests that it could be the ingredient that lightens the outer core as well as an active ingredient in its activities along with lower mantle phases high density magnesium provoskite (MgPv), calcium perovskite (CaPv), magnesiumwustite (Mw), iron (Ir) and iron liquid (Lm) plus isobarically and isothermally invariant liquid phases. Unstable convective contacts among these phases at all levels produce heat as they tend toward stable equilibrium. This heat expands against the earth's mantle and even causes the inner core to melt with 5cc\g. Eventually, the core-mantle boundary fails along lines and / or points to allow for the exit of densified silicate liquid. This liquid reacts with the lower mantle to produce unique liquids FOZO for oceanic island basalts and C-Component for the ridge and rise basalts ofthe Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. It is thought that these ejected liquids react to form hot solid plumes of low viscosity that ascend to 290 km where they melt on decompression to basalt that ascends further to create oceanic crust. Sea-floor spreading followed by subduction to the earth's core where the cycle ends to begin . . . again and again. A hypothetical ternary system is used to illustrate the cycle from beginning to end. Experimental evidence indicates that the core-mantle boundary may be as simple as a quaternary reaction: MgPv + CaPv +Mw = Ls + Lm, where Ls probably contains some Fe203. ... Read more

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We live on Earth's crust, but there are other layers beneath the crust. They are the mantle and the outer and inner core. In 1915, scientist Alfred Wegener said that about 200 million years ago, Earth once had a single landmass. Hot, molten magma under the surface of the crust pushed the plates apart at a crack in Earth's crust and, eventually, the landmass was split apart and continents were formed. Wegener's work led to the study of plate tectonics. ... Read more

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Wallace's Line divides the Malay archipelago in two. The theory of plate tectonics has shown that the line marks where northern and southern landmasses collided 15 million years ago, each bearing different animals and plants. This book documents the new discoveries about the geological history of the Malay archipelago and their implications for the interpretation of distribution patterns - vertebrate animals, palms, and several other plant groups are considered as examples. ... Read more

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How are mountains formed? Why are there old and young mountains? Why do the shapes of South America and Africa fit so well together? Why is the Pacific surrounded by a ring of volcanoes and earthquake prone areas while the edges of the Atlantic are relatively peaceful?

Frisch and Meschede and Blakey answer all these questions and more through the presentation and explanation of the geo-dynamic processes upon which the theory of continental drift is based and which have lead to the concept of plate tectonics. 

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This book provides a summary of geodynamic results from Iceland that presently are found in a great number of scientific articles, but have not been collected before in a book. The ever increasing number of scientists interested in geology and geophysics of Iceland should find the book a "must" to gain knowledge about previous work and the status of knowledge about Iceland. ... Read more

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For anyone who is interested in developments in the study of the Earth's structure, Plate Tectonics offers a full understanding of the theory that provides a single guiding principle to the earth's geological history.Beginning with a historical overview of plate tectonic theory in this century, the book describes in clear, non-technical language how plate tectonics work, how it affected evolution and extinction, and what the future holds.

Coverage includes:
- Seafloor Spreading
- Mountain Building
- The Rock Cycle
- Tectonics and the Environment
- Tectonics in Space
- Continental Draft ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Coverage limited
As a chemist I learned that the oil companies are the major companies who give jobs to chemists. It is similar with geologists: the best industrial jobs go to people who can find new oil pockets.
Plate techtonics has shown us where the ancients continentswere joined
so that we know that oil in the north sea implies oil in Alaska, for instance. I'm reviewing this book because the coverage of oil and coal resources as well as gold and other mineral wealth is pretty much left out.
The geologist has been at work finding these resources since the science began. As a History of the geological world this book is pretty good,
but as a reference of practical instruction it fails.

This book is wrong!
This book is beyond typos, it is just wrong.The ideas are OK at best but many of the examples are wrong.If you do not know anything about geology this book is fine for a "get your feet wet" read.If you do know a little geology then this book will just anger you.

Not bad for $3
I never had a chance to take a geology course during college and several years after graduating decided to buy this cheap geology text to learn something about the topic. (...)and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Like the Oct 2003 reviewer I was a bit worried by the July 2003 review. I agree that the text does need a bit of editing, all the photos are in black and white and most are from the western United States, and the writing will not leave your heart racing. But the book is reasonably concise and I found it digestible by taking in a chapter or two at a sitting. I wouldn't pay more than $10 for it, but if you find it used for less than that and simply want a concise intro it will suffice.

Quite good, actually.Informative and thought provoking.
I came across this title in Amazon.com several weeks ago, and decided at that time not to look for a copy, based on the negative review by the reviewer of July 2003.

Then I happened upon a copy of the book at a bricks-and-mortar book store today, found it to be quite good, and bought it.I'm about 100 pages into it this evening, and I appreciate the way it summarizes and ties together recent findings I've read about inother works but couldn't relate to one another.

I agree that there have been a few rough places where editing could improve the flow of the text, but I'm finding it quite informative.

Desperately In Need of Editing
Plate tectonics can be one of the sexiest topics in geology.However, via this book, Erickson and Muller manage to turn it into a sleeper.The writing style is circular, repetitive, and desperately in need of editing.As this book is relatively non-technical, the majority of its content can be found in a second-semester earth science/geology textbook.The one redeeming feature: noteworthy graphics and charts (that would have benefitted from color over black and white...) ... Read more

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The most important advances in earth sciences since the emergence of ''plate tectonics'' in the 1960s are detailed in this book. Armed with the new techniques of seismic tomography, nine leading scientists in geophysical research present an experimental and theoretical description of the dynamics of the Earth's mantle. What emerges is a coherent modern theory of mantle convection leading to a greater understanding of both surface motions and large-scale structure of the Earth's interior. ... Read more

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Discusses the history and development of tectonic theory; how tectonics helps scientists predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; and how engineers can apply this knowledge to mining, cartography, and designing buildings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I've been hadThis product might
This book would find a fit home in a grade school library. It is grossly overpriced. ... Read more

Product Description
This book evaluates the mechanisms that give rise to tectonic plate movements and presents evidence to show that major impacts on earth have caused significant and dramatic changes in their track. ... Read more

Product Description
Written as a comprehensive introduction to plate tectonics for sixth-form students, this book presents plate tectonics as the broad natural framework linking together such features as continents and oceans, mountain chains and rift valleys, deep ocean trenches and volcanoes. ... Read more