Figure 12.6

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY: What is the evidence on which plate tectonics theory is based? A wide range of data and observations, gathered from the ocean basins with many scientific tools, supports the theory of plate tectonics.

(Top left, © Dr. Ken MacDonald/Science Source; top center, Gulf of Alaska 2004. NOAA, WHOI, and the Alvin Group; top right, Woods Hole Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey; map, NOAA/NGDC)