Beyond Plate Tectonics

Science is never settled. New revolutionary ideas have always overturned the settled sciences of the past. In this far-reaching book the author looks beyond plate tectonics in order to detail the next Earth science revolution. Drawing upon his work from four decades as a professional geologist and researcher the author reveals the weaknesses of conventional plate tectonic theory. This research utilizes an extensive range of global observational data in order to reverse-engineer geology back in time. Reverse-engineering seafloor and crustal geology enables past plate assemblages and configurations of the ancient continents to be accurately constrained using geology rather than geophysics. From this, a series of spherical geological models of the Earth are presented showing the precise locations and configurations of the ancient continents, ranging back in time to the early-Archaean. These plate assemblages represent the first time that models of the ancient Earth have been geologically constrained back to the early-Archaean. An extensive range of additional global observational data are then displayed on these spherical models in order to quantify the location of the ancient poles and equator, climate zones, biogenic distributions, exposed lands and seas, as well as global distributions of hydrocarbon-based and metallic resources. The research outcomes presented in this book are applicable to all disciplines of the Earth sciences and will appeal to a broad range of professional expertise, in particular those with a grounding in the Earth sciences. It is a must read for undergraduates and professionals alike.