Responding to reviews, comments from instructors and developments in the subject, the authors have significantly extended the book's breadth and restructured some sections. Expanded sections include those on the formation of oceanic crust, the variety of passive continental margins and the nature of convection in the mantle, and a new chapter draws together the material on continental rifts and sedimentary basins.

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• Written by very eminent authors. Fred Vine was one of the pioneers of plate tectonic theory.
  
• Careful balance between geology and geophysics.
  
• New section of full colour plates.
  
• Addition of a new chapter drawing together the coverage of continental rifts and sedimentary basins.
  
• Expanded coverage, particularly of deep seismic reflection, hot spots and petrogenesis.