Alfred Wegener: Creator of the Continental Drift Theory

177 Pages·2009·5.56 MB·English

by  Lisa Yount

Alfred
Wegener

Alfred
Wegener
Creator of the Continental Drift Theory
LisA Yount
Alfred Wegener: Creator of the Continental drift Theory
Copyright © 2009 by Lisa Yount
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library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data
Yount, Lisa.
Alfred Wegener : creator of the continental drift theory / Lisa Yount.
p. cm.—(Makers of modern science)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6174-7
ISBN-10: 0-8160-6174-2
1. Wegener, Alfred, 1880–1930. 2. Geologists—German—Biography. 3. Earth
scientists—Germany—Biography. 4. Continental drift. 5. Physical geography.
I. Title. II. Series.
QE22.W26Y68 2009
550.92—dc22 2008025489
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Text design by Kerry Casey
Cover design by Salvatore Luongo
Illustrations by Sholto Ainslie
Photo research by Suzanne M. Tibor
Printed in the United States of America
Bang KT 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
to Kat,
who knows far too much about
earthquakes and tectonic shifts
$

Contents
Preface x
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xiv
1
Changing Views of the Earth 1
Earth’s Early Days 2
Competing Theories 4
Catastrophes or Steady Change? 7
Charles Lyell (1797–1875):
Founder of Uniformitarianism 8
Progressivism 10
Floating in a Hidden Sea 12
The Age of the Earth 16
Earth Science in Turmoil 18
2
Weather Pioneer 20
An Active Youth 20
Meteorology: The Science of Weather 22
Arctic Explorer 24
Popular Teacher and Writer 27
Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940): Pioneer Climatologist 30
A Bizarre Idea 31
Love and War 35
3
Continental Drift 38
A Challenge to Geology 39
Geologic Time 40
Ancient Continents 41
Another “Continental Drift” Theory 43
A Moving Island 45
Two Layers of Crust 46
Matching Rocks 48
Separated Twins 50
Fossil Climates and Wandering Poles 53
The Motors That Drive the Continents 55
4
“Utter, Damned Rot” 58
Early Reactions to Drift 60
Rejection in America 62
Harsh Criticisms 63
Powerful Feelings 64
Different Approaches to Science 66
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning 66
Starting All Over 68
5
Death on the Ice 70
Planning an Expedition 71
A Frustrating Start 73
Setting up Mid-Ice 75
International Polar Year: A Modern Polar Adventure 78
Visiting Mid-Ice 79
Final Journey 81
A Long Winter 83
A Memorial to Wegener: The Alfred Wegener Institute 84
Grim Discovery 85
6
Rumblings of Change 89
New Mechanisms for Drift 90
Support from South Africa 92
Comic Relief 94
Dragging Gravity 95
Artificial Earthquakes 96
War Spurs Marine Science 97
Scripps, Woods Hole, and Lamont:
Three Pioneering Institutions 98
The Wound That Never Heals 99
7
Magnetic Moments 103 The Plate Tectonics Revolution 000
7 Seafloor Spreading 000
The Plate Tectonics Revolution 106
Linking Spreadng to Magnetic Changes 000
Seafloor Spreading 107 Converging Lines of Evidence 000
Linking Spreading to Magnetic Changes 109 Eltanin 19: “Too Perfect” 000
Converging Lines of Evidence 113 Shaking up Geology 000
Eltanin 19: “Too Perfect” 114 Mathematical Support 000
Shaking up Geology 116 A New Theory of Earth Movement 000
Mathematical Support 118 Plate Tectonics Today 000
A New Theory of Earth Movement 119
Plate Tectonics Today 123 Conclusion: Reaching into the Future 000
Conclusion: Reaching into the Future 127
Chronology 130
Glossary 137
Further Resources 142
Index 150