How would you recognize an accreted terrain? How could you tell whether it originated far away or nearby?
How would you identify a region where orogeny is taking place today? Give an example of such a region.
Would you prefer to live on a planet with orogenies or without them? Why?
Figure 10.8b shows more continental crust of Mesozoic-Cenozoic age than of any other tectonic age. Does this observation contradict the hypothesis that most of the continental crust was differentiated from the mantle in the first half of Earth’s history?
Why are the ocean basins just about the right size to contain all the water on Earth’s surface?
What would happen at Earth’s surface if the cold keel beneath a craton were suddenly heated up? How might this effect be related to the formation of the Colorado Plateau?