Henry R. Frankel
Resolution of the sixty year debate over continental drift, culminating in the triumph of plate tectonics, changed the very fabric of Earth Science. This four-volume treatise on the continental drift controversy is the first complete history of the origin, debate and gradual acceptance of this revolutionary theory. Based on extensive interviews, archival papers and original works, Frankel weaves together the lives and work of the scientists involved, producing an accessible narrative for scientists and non-scientists alike. This third volume describes the golden age of marine geology and geophysics. Fuelled by the Cold War, US and British workers led the way in making discoveries and forming new hypotheses, especially about the origin of oceanic ridges. Discovery of transform faults in the ocean crust and symmetric patterns of geomagnetic reversals either side of mid-oceanic ridges in the mid 1960s led to the rapid acceptance of seafloor spreading and the birth of plate tectonics. Other volumes in this set: Volume 1: Wegener and the Early Debate Volume 2: Paleomagnetism and Confirmation of Drift Volume 4: Evolution into Plate Tectonics 4 Volume Set
The Continental Drift Controversy: Introduction of Seafloor Spreading