Nexus - 0706 - New Times Magazine-pages

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Ocean, demonstrates that all crustal plates assemble with a better the question has not been asked or taken seriously, where the than 99% fit-together, and all plates are accurately constrained. additional mass comes from remains speculative. This question, This construction method was continued back to the Early however, must be asked in the same context as the additional Jurassic period, about 160 million years before the present, until uestion: where does the mass of the Universe come from? The all sea-floor crust was removed. At this time, all continents were answers to both questions are synonymous. refitted together, like a spherical jigsaw puzzle, at about 62% of Mathematical studies based on modelling research demonstrate the present Earth radius, or about 3,540 kilometres. that the Earth is indeed expanding because of an increase in mass By removing all the sea-floor crust, plus sediments deposited with time. What this study also tells us is that the mean density of around the continental margins (shown as white margins in fig- the Earth has remained constant, or near constant, since creation, ures 2 and 3), all the continents can be united as a single continen- and, of importance to life on Earth, the surface gravity has been tal shell encompassing the entire Earth at a radius of 50% of the steadily increasing with time. The surface gravity during the present Earth radius during the Permian period, about 260 million inosaur era, for instance, is calculated to be approximately half years ago. By progressively removing sedi- the present value, hence dinosaurs were big- ments from continental sedimentary basins, ger, longer and heavier than they could ever each of the ancient Archaean and Proterozoic be on Earth today. regions of the continents can also be assem- The ultimate cause of Earth expansion bled as a primordial Earth at approximately H was considered by Professor Carey (Carey, 27% of the present Earth radius during the The surface g ravity 1996) to be intimately related to a cosmolog- Early Proterozoic aeon, about 1,600 million during the dinosaur ical expansion of the Universe. He consid- years ago (not shown in figures 2 and 3). . . ered that, based on Albert Einstein's famous era, for instance, Is equation, E = mc’, the creation of mass FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS occurs as a result of a condensation of ener- Acceptance of Earth expansion as a viable calculated to be gy. Professor Carey concluded that matter is global tectonic process is currently envisaged 1 being created deep within the Earth's core. by researchers from many countries to be approximately half While speculative, it is envisaged that matter thwarted by major obstacles which supposed- the present value, condensing at the core-mantle boundary ly outnumber the evidence in favour. hence dinosau rs would then result in a swelling of the These opinions are based on outdated mantle, which in turn would cause research carried out during the 1950s to A expansion of the Earth. This is then f were bigger, longer and heavier than 1970s, well before the advent of mod- reflected at the Earth's surface by con- ern global tectonics, computer technol- tinental crustal extension, and when they could ever be on Earth today. ogy, global data-gathering capabilities extension reaches a critical stage, as and multimedia communication. happened during the Permian period, Unfortunately, these same outdated the continents break up and disperse, opinions are being carried through to exactly as we see in figures 2 and 3. recent literature without proper scientif - ic investigation, regardless of advances made in Earth expansion. The most commonly perceived prob- lems include: an explanation for the cause of Earth expansion; the problem of ocean water and atmosphere accumulation on an expanding 2 What about the pre-Triassic? On an expanding Earth prior to the Triassic period about 245 million years ago, modern deep oceans did not exist. All continental crust was united to form a single supercontinent called Pangaea, enclosing the ancient Earth; and palaeomagnetic determinations of ancient pole loca- Earth at a radius of about 3,200 kilometres—50% of the size of tions and Earth radius. Frequently asked questions about Earth the present radius. expansion include: Geographical studies show that oceans during the pre-Triassic period were represented by a network of continental seas, with = Where does the additional mass come from? deposition of sediments within continental sedimentary basins This is a very important but very difficult question to answer. masking all evidence of sea-floor spreading. Exposed lands and Because the Earth has always been considered as being the same varying coastal outlines during the Early Palaeozoic era were size since creation, from either a religious or a cosmological point represented by the ancient Gondwana, Laurentia, Baltica and of view, it has not been necessary to ask the question. Because Laurussia continents, and during the Proterozoic aeon by the The surface gravity during the dinosaur era, for instance, is calculated to be approximately half the present value, were bigger, longer and heavier than they could ever be on Earth today. = Where does the additional mass come from? This is a very important but very difficult question to answer. Because the Earth has always been considered as being the same size since creation, from either a religious or a cosmological point of view, it has not been necessary to ask the question. Because Figure 3. Expanding Earth reconstructions of the Atlantic Ocean for the beginning of the (a) Recent, (b) Pliocene, (c) Miocene, (d) Oligocene, (e) Eocene, (f) Palaeocene, (g) Late Cretaceous, (h) Mid Cretaceous, (i) Early Cretaceous and (j) Late Jurassic periods. Each ancient Earth model shows a progressive break-up and dispersal of continents, resulting in the pattern of sea-floor geology shown in figure 1. NEXUS - 43 hence dinosaurs OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2000