The question about plate boundaries I'm pretty sure has been answered, but just to reiterate, they are indeed the edges of the plates, whether or not they are actually "active". Continental shields are large areas of continental crust that are known for their geological stability, and are usually located far from plate boundaries. Created during the Precambrian, they represent the oldest rocks on the Earth's surface. Some examples of shields are northeastern Canada & Greenland, Western Australia, the Amazon Basin, and the Baltic area.Originally Posted by Porklet
Thanks for the compliments on my own world-in-progress. I take a lot of time and effort and study to make sure I'm getting my science down correctly and make sure there are no glaring holes that would "suspend disbelief", as it were.
In regard to your question about hotspots, bear in mind that hotspots are not a function of tectonic action -- it is tectonic action that makes them easily identifiable. The technical term for a hotspot is "mantle plume", and as the name would suggest, the mechanism that creates them has its origin deep in the mantle of the earth. Mantle plumes DON'T move...the tectonic plate above it does. As a result, you get a new volcano to form over the plume head when tectonic action moves the plate far enough. Since mantle plumes are not caused by tectonic forces, they can occur anywhere and in fact are most easily identifiable when they happen in the middle of a plate, like Hawai'i or Yellowstone, where there is no logical reason for geologic activity to be taking place there. If you have a planet that is geologically active, it would make sense for them to be "popping up" all over.
Another thing I would also suggest is don't overthink it. It is easy to get caught up in being scientifically accurate, but there comes a point when you become bombarded by too much science and it all becomes meaningless drivel. Looking at your most recent map, I would observe that there is no immediately apparently reason why there should be mountains between B & C, or F & I, or H & L, since these pairings illustrate neighboring plates moving in the same direction. However, the main force(s) causing plate tectonics is by no means constant. Plate W may have moved at rate X in direction Y for Z million years, but any one of those variables could change at anytime.
The bottom line is once you've got your scientifically plausible geosphere, all pretty and polished with a high glossy sheen, don't be afraid to totally obliterate it if the story you are trying to tell through your map says 'It Must Be So."
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