Tectonics and Ocean Basins:

• The principal aims of the individual assignments are as follows:
• to explore the occurrence and characteristics of recent global earthquakes.
• to evaluate the rates of plate motion and to determine and compare rates of seafloor spreading.
• to examine the tectonics of California from earthquake records.
• to investigate the positions and features of active volcanoes. 
• to explore the topography of the ocean floor.
• to determine the history of ocean basins and the changes in continental configurations over geological time.
• The overall objective of these assignments is to demonstrate how these phenomena support the theory of plate tectonics, and how their characteristics and features can be explained by this unifying concept.

• This set of exercises comprises
• Two required exercises:
• Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics (due September 23)
• Spreading Rates (due September 30)
• The following additional exercises (due October 7):
• Californian Earthquakes
• Apologies, the following exercises could not be given because of the disappearance of critical websites
  
• Volcanoes
• History of Ocean Basins
• The initial required exercise for Set 2 is now:
• Topography of the Ocean Floor (due Oct 14)
• All components should be submitted via oncourse .
• Brief instructions for accessing  oncourse are given on the preliminary exercise page (go here ). 

• See Notes under Timetable
  
• I will post any announcements, changes, modifications, updates or suggestions here.
• If any of the sites become accessible, I will provide information about alternatives or additions here.
• If you encounter any difficulties with access to any of the sites please notify me by email ( simon@indiana.edu ) and I will attempt to resolve problems, or suggest other options as soon as possible.

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Department of Geological Sciences, 
1001 E. Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-1403
Phone: (812) 855-5582  Last updated: 15 September 2002
Comments: simon@indiana.edu
Copyright 2002, The Trustees of Indiana University