Barista has written a really interesting post here on the history of research into techtonic plates (or more specfically, on Marie Tharp and her work on the subject). This post makes for a really good read, but the line that caught my imagination was the last (bolding is mine):
Despite the fact that the plate tectonics debate spanned fifty years, several languages and many countries, I suspect the battles fought in that house full of maps in South Nyack were some of the fiercest and most personal.
Ironically, they were all wrong. Nowadays, we believe the planet is expanding.
I wish I could string together a few coherent thoughts (I am scarily scatty at the moment – all these half-bits of posts… I promise I’ll get it together soon. Ish.), but I can’t. But I like the thought – expanding v contracting planet.
