The Rejection of Continental Drift

The Rejection of Continental Drift
Author: Naomi Oreskes
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 433
Release: 1999
Genre: Continental drift
ISBN: 0195117336

Why did American geologists reject the notion of continental drift, first posed in 1915? And why did British scientists view the theory as a pleasing confirmation? This text, based on archival resources, provides answers to these questions.

The Origin of Continents and Oceans

The Origin of Continents and Oceans
Author: Alfred Wegener
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2012-07-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0486143899

A source of profound influence and controversy, this landmark 1915 work explains various phenomena of historical geology, geomorphy, paleontology, paleoclimatology, and similar areas in terms of continental drift. 64 illustrations. 1966 edition.

Alfred Wegener

Alfred Wegener
Author: Mott T. Greene
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 693
Release: 2015-10-30
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 142141712X

The book should be of interest not only to earth scientists, students of polar travel and exploration, and historians but to all readers who are fascinated by the great minds of science.--Henry R. Frankel, University of Missouri-Kansas City, author of The Continental Drift Controversy "Science & Education"

From Crust to Core

From Crust to Core
Author: Simon Mitton
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 383
Release: 2020-12-17
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1108426697

A fascinating historical account of the emergence and development of the new interdisciplinary field of deep carbon science.

Drifting Continents and Shifting Theories

Drifting Continents and Shifting Theories
Author: Homer Eugene LeGrand
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 1988-12-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521311052

A historical account of the triumph of the global theory of plate tectonics and its implications for the "modern revolution in geology" of the 1960s and 1970s after fifty years of controversy and competition.

A Brief History of Geology

A Brief History of Geology
Author: Kieran D. O'Hara
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2018-04-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1107176182

Approximately 200 years of the history of the development of the study of geology.

Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics
Author: Wolfgang Frisch
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2022-11-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030889998

This textbook explains how mountains are formed and why there are old and young mountains. It provides a reconstruction of the Earths paleogeography and shows why the shapes of South America and Africa fit so well together. Furthermore, it explains why the Pacific is surrounded by a ring of volcanos and earthquake-prone areas while the edges of the Atlantic are relatively peaceful. This thoroughly revised textbook edition addresses all these questions and more through the presentation and explanation of the geodynamic processes upon which the theory of continental drift is based and which have led to the concept of plate tectonics. It is a source of information for students of geology, geophysics, geography, geosciences in general, general natural sciences, as well as professionals, and interested layman.

‘Africa Forms the Key’

‘Africa Forms the Key’
Author: Suryakanthie Chetty
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2021-01-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030527115

This book examines the work of prominent South African geologist Alex Du Toit as a means of understanding the debate around continental drift both in segregation-era South Africa and internationally. It contextualises Du Toit’s work within a particularly formative period of South African science, from the paleoanthropological discoveries that sparked debates about the origins of humankind to Jan Smuts’ own theory of holism. Beyond South African scientific discoveries, the book sets Du Toit’s work against a backdrop of ideological struggles over space, both domestically in terms of segregation and nationalism, as well as internationally as South Africa sought to assert its position within the Commonwealth. These debates were embodied by Du Toit’s work on the theory of continental drift, which put Africa – and South Africa – at the centre geologically and geographically. The author also focuses on the divisions in geology caused by drift theory, tracing the vigorous intellectual debate and dissent indicative of the ideological milieu within which scientific thought is constructed. It traces the history of continental drift from its inception in the nineteenth century and later work of Alfred Wegener, which was both elaborated upon and substantiated by Du Toit. The study further focuses on Du Toit’s research on continental drift in South African and South America, and the geological, fossil and climatological evidence used to bolster this theory.

Scientific Controversies

Scientific Controversies
Author: H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 656
Release: 1987-04-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521275606

This collection of essays examines the ways in which disputes and controversies about the application of scientific knowledge are resolved. Four concrete examples of public controversy are considered in detail: the efficacy of Laetrile, the classification of homosexuality as a disease, the setting of safety standards in the workplace, and the utility of nuclear energy as a source of power. The essays in this volume show that debates about these cases are not confined to matters of empirical fact. Rather, as is seen with most scientific and technical controversies, they focus on and are structured by complex ethical, economic, and political interests. Drs. Engelhardt and Caplan have brought together a distinguished group of scholars from the sciences and humanities, who sketch a theory of scientific controversy and attempt to provide recommendations about the ways in which both scientists and the public ought to seek more informed resolutions of highly contentious issues in science and technology. Scientific Controversies is offered as a contribution to the better understanding of the roles of both science and nonscientific interests in disputes and controversies pertaining to science and technology.

Great Geological Controversies

Great Geological Controversies
Author: Anthony Hallam
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 244
Release: 1989
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780198582182

This second edition of the author's account of celebrated controversies in geology embraces many of the important ideas that have emerged since the birth of the subject. The two new chapters are on the emergence of stratigraphy in the 19th century and on the mass extinctions controversy.