| Detailed studies of the Easter microplate, and other contemporary microplates located along the world's mid-oceanic ridge system, are considered of primary importance to our understanding of the kinematic evolution of the major oceanic plates. The focus of the Rapanui expedition, part of the "Tour du monde" of the French research vessel Jean Charcot , was to collect detailed structural and geophysical data along the northern and southern Easter microplate boundaries in order to test, in a rigorous manner, the most recent tectonic and kinematic models for the microplate. In developing detailed bathymetric, morphotectonic and magnetic maps of these boundaries, we have found that our new plate boundaries differ considerably from those of Hey et al. (1985). |
