Mid-plate Tectonics

Abstract

There are many examples of mid-plate tectonics which require an explanation. Oceanic island chains, continental graben and rift valleys, and features which pass from continental areas into oceanic parts of the same plate, are particularly important. We argue that these are the result of crustal extension due to tensional stresses — thermal stresses due to the cooling of the lithosphere, membrane stresses due to changes in the radii of curvature or a complicated combination of both.