In the decade or so before Plate Tectonics was embraced there was another popular theory. Geologist thought they saw evidence that the earth was slowly expanding. New discoveries had recently proved continents split apart at the mid-oceanic ridges in the Atlantic Ocean, but the presence of mid-oceanic ridges in the Pacific Ocean seemed to imply the whole earth was expanding.It seemed this idea of Earth Expansion was everywhere by the 1960s. In 1961 the Life Pictorial Atlas of the World published a dramatic series of globes illustrating how the earth had begun as a smaller world that expanded over geological time to its present size, moving the continents apart in the process. Major scientific journals published articles about the evidence for the Expanding Earth. Leading geologists included chapters about the concept in their geological textbooks. But by 1967 many geologists thought they saw a better solution. If expansion at the mid-oceanic ridges was being consumed at the trenches this would remove the need for any Earth Expansion. It was a non-expanding earth. The theory of Plate Tectonics was born and most geologists forgot about Earth Expansion, apart from a few.The Hidden History of Earth Expansion is told in 14 original essays by some of the researchers still assembling evidence for the theory.
'I took great pleasure in reading this collection, and in agreeing, or sometimes disagreeing, with ideas and conclusions of the contributors. It is the sort of work that can help open minds that are unduly closed'Chris Cunningham - author of Climate Change and the Cargo Cult
'All in all, this latest book is a timely addition to Expanding Earth theory, and it is pretty obvious our understanding of tectonics, whether global or local, remain incomplete. The book is highly recommended'Louis Hissink - NCGT Journal editor
'Stephen Hurrell has done a great service to the science community: he has captured the history of expansion tectonics before it is lost. This truly would be a shame given it will eventually become the dominant geological theory. The book is a who's who in expansion tectonics with a treasure trove of historical information, photos and documents'David de Hilster - JCNPS President
'The book - Hidden History of Earth expansion - exceeded my expectations. I learned about several authors I had not noticed before. It is in the context of history and individual stories that the findings presented sound much more convincing and engaging'Do