Which Tectonic Plate Model is Most Accepted?

[matthyaouw]

I was wondering if someone could help me out here. It seems that no matter how many textbooks i consult, each one has a slightly different version of the plate tectonics map. There seems to be some amount of confusion about the boundary between the Eurasian and American plates, the plates at the Alpine/Himalayan orogenic belt, and the southern Atlantic in terms of how many plates exist, and where the boundaries are. I can see why such confusion exists, and why boundaries may be unclear, but is there a particular model which is more accepted than others? Which version do you personally prefer?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Astronuc]

The information in any textbook may depend on when it is written. New faults and fault lines are discovered and that can change the picture.

It might worthwhile to check out the USGS site:

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/plate_tectonics/rift_man.html

and

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/bytopic/plates.html