THE CONTINENTAL DRIFT CONTROVERSY

By JESSICA HERNANDEZ

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION WILSON, THE MAN WILSON CONTINUES TO SUPPORT CONTRACTIONISM AND REJECT MOBILISM, SCHEIDEGGER ACKNOWLEDGES PALEOMAGNETIC SUPPORT FOR MOBILISM, 1958, WILSON COMBINES SLOW EARTH EXPANSION AND HIS CONTRACTIONIST ACCOUNT OF OROGENIC BELTS, BERNAL AND DIETZ DISCUSS SEAFLOOR SPREADING, OCTOBER WILSON BECOMES A MOBILIST, WILSON MATCHES THE CABOT AND GREAT GLEN FAULTS IN SUPPORT OF MOBILISM, MENARD AND HESS CORRESPOND ABOUT SEAFLOOR SPREADING, 1961, MENARD DEFENDS SEAFLOOR THINNING AND ATTACKS EARTH EXPANSION, HEEZEN ATTACKS SEAFLOOR SPREADING AND SEAFLOOR THINNING, IRVING CAUTIONS HESS, EXPLAINING MARINE MAGNETIC ANOMALIES MATTHEWS, HIS EARLY LIFE; GOES TO ANTARCTICA MATTHEWS VISITS THE FALKLAND ISLANDS AND FAVORS CONTINENTAL DRIFT VINE BEGINS RESEARCH, VINE REVIEWS THE LITERATURE ON MARINE MAGNETIC ANOMALIES, OCTOBER, 1962 TO JANUARY, MATTHEWS’ METICULOUS SURVEY OVER THE CARLSBERG RIDGE, NOVEMBER VINE DEVELOPS THE VINE–MATTHEWS HYPOTHESIS, EARLY MORLEY’S EDUCATION AND EARLY WORK IN PALEOMAGNETISM AND AEROMAGNETIC SURVEYING MORLEY ACCEPTS REVERSALS OF THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD AND CONTINENTAL DRIFT MORLEY’S HYPOTHESIS MORLEY’S PAPER IS TWICE REJECTED WHY MORLEY’S PAPER WAS REJECTED AND VINE AND MATTHEWS’ PAPER WAS ACCEPTED TWO OTHER VINE–MATTHEWS-LIKE HYPOTHESES WILSON CONTINUES SEEKING FURTHER SUPPORT FOR MOBILISM THE ROYAL SOCIETY’S 1964 SYMPOSIUM ON CONTINENTAL DRIFT THE EVERETT, BULLARD, AND SMITH FIT OF THE CONTINENTS SURROUNDING THE ATLANTIC PALEOMAGNETISM, OTHER NEW EVIDENCE FOR CONTINENTAL DRIFT, AND MOBILISM’S MECHANISM DIFFICULTY MENARD ENDS HIS FLIRTATION WITH MOBILISM MENARD ATTACKS SEAFLOOR SPREADING AND WILSON’S WORK ON OCEANIC ISLANDS EARLY RESPONSES TO THE VINE–MATTHEWS HYPOTHESIS, HOLMES ON MANTLE CONVECTION, SEAFLOOR SPREADING, AND EARTH EXPANSION INITIAL DIFFICULTIES FACING THE VINE–MATTHEWS HYPOTHESIS VINE, MATTHEWS, AND CANN DEFEND AND FURTHER DEVELOP THE VINE–MATTHEWS HYPOTHESIS, JUNE 1964 TO MAY MILD SUPPORT AND CRITICISM OF THE VINE–MATTHEWS HYPOTHESIS DURING THE FIRST HALF OF HEIRTZLER, LE PICHON, AND TALWANI AT LAMONT GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY LAMONT’S VIEW OF MID-OCEAN RIDGES AND REJECTION OF THE VINE–MATTHEWS HYPOTHESIS: WORK ON THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE VINE, WILSON, AND HESS AT MADINGLEY RISE, LATE 1964 TO MIDDLE HESS FINE TUNES AND EXTENDS SEAFLOOR SPREADING, WILSON DEVELOPS THE IDEA OF TRANSFORM FAULTS WILSON’S THIRD TRIP AROUND THE WORLD VINE INDEPENDENTLY PROPOSES RIDGE-RIDGE TRANSFORM FAULTS ALAN COODE’S IDEA OF TRANSFORM FAULTS CONTINUING DISAGREEMENTS OVER THE VINE–MATTHEWS HYPOTHESIS, TRANSFORM FAULTS, AND SEAFLOOR EVOLUTION, OUTLINE WILSON AND VINE WORK IN THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC LAMONT’S VIEW OF MID-OCEAN RIDGES: WORK IN THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC LAMONT’S VIEW OF MID-OCEAN RIDGES: WORK ON THE REYKJANES RIDGE GEOMAGNETIC REVERSALS, THE DOMINANCE OF REMANENCE, AND VINE’S PHD DISSERTATION, AUGUST MATTHEWS SEEKS TO EXPLAIN THE GREATER AMPLITUDE OF THE CENTRAL ANOMALY THE OTTAWA MEETING, SEPTEMBER THE CHALLENGES OF UNRAVELING THE CENOZOIC HISTORY OF THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC RESOLUTION OF THE CONTINENTAL DRIFT CONTROVERSY LAMONT WORKERS ARGUE DISTRIBUTION OF ATLANTIC OCEAN FLOOR SEDIMENTS IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH SEAFLOOR SPREADING: HESS DISAGREES VINE LEARNS OF CORRECTIONS TO THE REVERSAL TIMESCALE AND FULLY ACCEPTS SEAFLOOR SPREADING: THE NOVEMBER 1965 GSA MEETING IMPROVEMENTS IN THE REVERSAL TIMESCALE DURING OPDYKE AND OTHERS AT LAMONT DEVELOP A REVERSAL TIMESCALE BASED ON THE STUDY OF DEEP-SEA CORES PITMAN’S “MAGIC” PROFILE OVER THE PACIFIC–ANTARCTIC RIDGE, DECEMBER 1965: PITMAN, HEIRTZLER, AND TALWANI ACCEPT V-M COX AND DOELL BECOME MOBILISTS VINE TURNS THE VINE–MATTHEWS HYPOTHESIS INTO A DIFFICULTY-FREE SOLUTION SYKES CONFIRMS RIDGE-RIDGE TRANSFORM FAULTS MENARD ACCEPTS SEAFLOOR SPREADING; HEEZEN RENOUNCES RAPID EARTH EXPANSION LAMONT WORKERS ARGUE THAT HEAT FLOW OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE IS TOO LOW FOR SEAFLOOR SPREADING; HESS DISAGREES THE GODDARD CONFERENCE: SELLING CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND SEAFLOOR SPREADING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT MAKING SENSE OF WHY LE PICHON, HEIRTZLER, AND TALWANI TRIED SO HARD TO PROVE HESS WRONG MAURICE EWING RELUCTANTLY ACCEPTS DISCONTINUOUS SEAFLOOR SPREADING WHY SEAFLOOR SPREADING WAS RAPIDLY ACCEPTED BY MOST MARINE GEOLOGISTS AND GEOPHYSICISTS THE BIRTH OF PLATE TECTONICS BRYAN ISACKS AND JACK OLIVER AT LAMONT ISACKS AND OLIVER LAUNCH THEIR STUDY OF DEEP EARTHQUAKES ISACKS AND OLIVER PIN DOWN MANTLE SUBDUCTION MCKENZIE, THE MAKING OF A GEOPHYSICIST MCKENZIE INTERPRETS HEAT-FLOW DATA IN TERMS OF SEAFLOOR SPREADING HEIRTZLER AND COMPANY EXTEND THE REVERSAL TIMESCALE MORGAN DISCOVERS PLATE TECTONICS MORGAN’S PRESENTATIONS OF PLATE TECTONICS: FROM APRIL TALK TO MARCH 1968 PUBLICATION MORGAN’S APRIL 1967 AGU PRESENTATION MORGAN’S 1968 PAPER “RISES, TRENCHES, GREAT FAULTS, AND CRUSTAL BLOCKS” MCKENZIE DISCOVERS PLATE TECTONICS THE KEYS TO MCKENZIE’S DISCOVERY MCKENZIE AND PARKERS’ VERSION OF PLATE TECTONICS COMPARISON OF MORGAN’S AND MCKENZIE AND PARKER’S PRESENTATIONS OF PLATE TECTONICS REFERENCES