Continental-Crust Structures on the Continental Margin of Western North America

The NE Pacific Ocean is considered the birthplace of many fundamental ideas for modern plate tectonics theory. In this work, the orogenic belts of this region are discussed in a single, internally consistent tectonic concept. Geological information is considered the most reliable. Geophysical models are tested for compatibility with observable geological data. The new concept avoids force-fitting interpretations to preconceived assumptions regarding accreted far-travelled terrains in the Cordillera and continental-oceanic plate interactions in the entire region.