Karen Ellzey, age 10, of Richmond, Va., for her question:

Is it true that new oceans are forming?

Once upon a time, everybody thought that the mighty oceans stay more or less as they are. Then a few years ago, this idea went out of style. Teams of scientists took lots of careful measurements and also probed down to the ocean floors. They found proof that indeed the seas are changing. Some are growing smaller and some are growing larger. In a few places, new seas are expected to fill old cracks in the continents.

The idea that a new ocean might form in the middle of our continent seems a bit scary. However, there is no cause for alarm    no need to build boats and buy lifebelts. If new oceans are forming, they fill up so slowly that after a million years or so there may be enough water for a person to go wading    up to the ankles.

Experts tell us the oceans of the world are changing their shapes and sizes and the chunks of dry land are moving around the globe. Here and there a few new seas are forming and a few new islands are lifting their heads above theater. But these changes goon very slowly. In fact, scientists had to use super fine instruments and work patiently for years to measure any changes at all. At last they can figure out some of the things that happened in the past. They also know some of the things that are going on now and what may happen in the future.

We now know that the oceans and continents are sitting on huge slabs of the earth's crust. These are called plates. There are about ten large ones and dozens of small ones. They are moving slowly, very slowly around the globe. This has been going on for billions of years. And gradually these drifting rafts change the lands and seas on the world map.

For example, the Pacific Ocean is the world's biggest. It has been the champ for ages and everybody expects it to stay the world's biggest ocean  for ages to come. However, we now know that the Pacific is growing smaller    while the Atlantic is growing gradually larger. So it is true that the seas of the world are changing.

The growing Atlantic is not expected to flood over its present shorelines. It is expanding because a ridge of new crust is forming down the center of the sea bed. As this grows wider, the ocean floors on either side are spreading farther apart.

Scientists suspect that a new sea may be forming in Africa. The Red Sea is part of a great rift, somewhat like a dented crack in the earth's crust. This has been there forages. But all this time it may have been getting bigger. :Maybe someday this rift will be so big that water can flow in and fill it. Then there will be a new sea on the map of the world.