As motorists scrambled for a place in line, in some states matching their license plates to the date on an odd-or-even system, the era of energy affluence ended.

This is part of the system of mid-ocean ridges that form as the tectonic plates of the Earth's crust move apart-a process known as sea floor spreading.

It includes a huge heat-treatment furnace, a crane that lifts hot metal plates without damaging them, and a computer system that can manage the complete flow of work.