Abstract
In this chapter we repeat basic aspects of the theory of plate tectonics. In the first part of the chapter a summary of the history of the plate tectonic model is presented and some basic principles how to describe it are discussed. Some arguments that suggest why plate tectonics may not work are also presented. In the second part of this chapter we discuss the layered structure of the earth and the geographic distribution of lithospheric plates. We will also use this chapter to introduce the terminology that is used in the remainder of the book. As such, the chapter is meant as a basis for all following chapters.
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© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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(2007). Plate Tectonics. In: Geodynamics of the Lithosphere. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-71237-4_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-71237-4_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-71236-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-71237-4
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