Problem 2
Search Wikipedia for "Mataiva," a small atoll in Tuamotus, French Polynesia. Using the map on the Wikipedia site, determine the approximate number of atolls in this small region of the western Pacific. What conclusion can you draw about the abundance of atolls in the western Pacific?
Problem 4
Briefly explain why the ocean floor generally gets deeper the farther one travels from the ridge crest.
Problem 7
Propose one or two ideas to explain why some continental rifts evolve into active plate boundaries while others do not.
Problem 10
Explain this statement: The oceans are 4 billion years old, but the oldest ocean basin is only about 200 million years old.
Problem 11
This image shows lava at a temperature of about \(1200^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) erupting on the seafloor west of the Tonga trench. What name is given to lava flows like these that erupt underwater?
