The earth is seen as a dynamic body undergoing convection that is driven by its internal heat. The elucidation of the nature and evolution of the earth's lithosphere, that has provided all minerals and energy resources and the space in which we live is one of the principal motives behind the International Program "Dynamics and Evolution of the Lithosphere." A full understanding of the lithosphere requires further research especially on the continents and their margins: while the oceanic lithosphere cools and subsides as it flows away from the zone of upwelling, the continents, because of...