1987年出版的地学进科全书构造地质及板块构造卷中杜威(J·Dewey)在缝合带条目中将地中海区域划出了9个板块(见图1)。这样现在地球上大约划分了30个左右板块。随着科学的进步,地质和地球物理探测技术进一步发展,地球上板块数目将逐渐增加,但不是无限制地增加,因为构成一个板块必须有一定的地质和地球物理条件,同时还要有一定的边界。 Dewey, a 1987 edition of the Geoscience Encyclopedia of Geological and Structural Tectonics, delineated the Mediterranean region in suture items by nine plates (see Figure 1). This way, about 30 plates are divided on Earth. With the advancement of science and the further development of geophysical and geophysical exploration techniques, the number of plates on the earth will gradually increase, but not increase indefinitely, because the formation of a plate must have certain geological and geophysical conditions and a certain amount of boundary.