3‐D model of the lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary for a propagating rift

Abstract

A first‐order approximation of the lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary of a propagating rift model is shown in Figures 1 and 2. (Figure 1 is a reduced version of the cover figure. All bracketed letters in the text correspond to letters in Figure 2.) The propagating rift model explains tectonic patterns of some oceanic regions that have puzzled earth scientists for some time. According to this model, oceanic spreading centers can propagate through older crust, transferring portions of crust from one plate to another.