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On-line version of the U.S. Geologic Survey’s publication on plate tectonics, This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics, with excellent graphics and discussion of the theory of plate tectonics. Contains all the text from the original book with chapters and images about the continental drift theory, plate boundaries and motions, seafloor spreading, mid-ocean ridges and trenches, subduction zones, hot spots, and more.
The Inner Workings of the Earth. American Scientist article by Michael Wyesession. Scientists are beginning to study the core-mantle boundary and the role it may play in plate tectonics. "Central to this new understanding is the visualization of the earth as a dynamic, flowing body, with massive and vigorous movements of rock going on continuously at all levels between the surface and the center. The core-mantle boundary's surprising complexity seems to play a pivotal role in controlling these processes."
Pangea Animation. An animation showing continental drift from 250 million years in the past to 250 million years in the future.
Images from Caribbean Seafloor May Help Solve Geological Puzzle. Did the Caribbean seafloor form where it is now, or was it once a tongue of the Pacific Plate that was cut off by the Panamanian isthmus when North and South America converged? Do volcanic plumes from Earth’s mantle periodically burst through the seafloor, dramatically affecting the face of the planet and life on it? How did now-extinct deep currents in the Pacific Ocean circulate millions of years ago?
Fault Motion. A particularly good set of animations of basic fault motion.
Plate Tectonics: Three Types of Faults. Although this site uses different terminology from that used in the textbook, it is well worth checking out for the superb illustrations and concise explanations of the types of faults associated with particular types of plate boundaries.
