(Solved): I am having trouble with understanding much of my Geology 3050 homework assignment and the professor ...

You have all probably heard of plate tectonics since you were in elementary school, so I figured we would try to look at this unifying concept of gcology by looking at it through the eyes of the explorers and researchers who worked out the concept clue by clue. Let's see what comes out of this effort. Note: You will probably do the same lab in several of your Geology courses because it is one of the assessment instruments of our program. We will keep you answers for years, and hopefully track a growing maturity in your thinking as you learn more and more about geology. Please help us by being thoughtful and thorough in your answers. IS THE EARTH CONTRACTING OR EXPANDING? Let's take a look at the Face of the Earth (the map below; the image at the left is a dried-out passion fruit to prime your thinking), as represented by the handsome map of Erwin Raisz. This map shows the outlines of the continents, as well as the main mountain ranges, plains, ocean basins and other features that were known in 1953 (the year I was born!). It does not include the features of the ocean floor, but we will see those later. 1. Looking at the Face of the Earth, does it look old to you? Does it look like it is shrinking? What features lead you to think so?