Planetary Sciences, Geodynamics, Impacts, Mass Extinctions, and Evolution: Developments and Interconnections

Figure 2

The Earth’s lithosphere is divided into several tectonic plates that undergo relative motion. Plate boundaries are divergent boundaries (seafloor spreading ridges), convergent boundaries (subduction zones), and transform boundaries (transform faults). (a) Plate tectonic boundaries. Structural information on normal and reverse faults and volcanic centers is added (credits: NASA Earth Observatory and Goddard Space Flight Center website: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov). (b) Global plate model incorporating 27 plates in a high resolution plate kinematic model (adapted from DeMets et al. [5]).