contracting Earth hypothesis
contracting Earth hypothesis The hypothesis stating that mountain building is caused by the contraction of the Earth. Conventionally, the wrinkles that form on a drying apple are used as an analogy for the formation of mountains on Earth. The hypothesis was prevalent in the 19th and early 20th centuries, prior to the discovery of radiogenic heating within the Earth. The Earth has probably reduced by some 5% in volume since its original formation, but mountains mainly result from plate tectonic motions.
More From encyclopedia.com
Hollow Earth , Edmund Halley (1656–1742) is best known for having calculated the orbit of a comet that passes by Earth every 76 years. The comet known as Halley's m… Earth , Imagine that you are describing planet Earth to someone who has never seen it. How would you describe its appearance? What would you say about it? Wh… Terrestrial Planet , Skip to main content
terrestrial planet
terrestrial planet, the earth or a planet that resembles the earth in its physical characteristics. The terre… Fullers Earth , fuller's earth
1. A clay consisting mainly of expanding smectites such as montmorillonite used industrially for its absorptive properties.
2. Capital… Planetary Science , CONCEPT
The term planetary science encompasses a whole range of studies involving a combination of earth sciences and astronomy. Sometimes known as p… Gaia Hypothesis , The Gaia (pronounced guy-ah) hypothesis is the idea that Earth is a living organism and can regulate its own environment. This idea argues that Earth…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
contracting Earth hypothesis