Plates Vs Plumes – A geological controversy.
Plates Vs Plumes – A geological controversy.
By Gillian R. Foulger
Published by Wiley-Blackwell 2010.Soft cover 310 pages.
When studying geology in the early 70’s I learnt about the ground breaking geological concepts of plate tectonics and plumes. Now, more than 40 years later I took a look at the current status of these concepts through the book “Plates Vs Plumes – A geological Controversy” by Gillian R. Foulger (first published 2010).
The author approaches the topic by first reviewing the criteria of each concept, and how such theories may predict outcomes. The author looks at a great many studies associated with volcanism, time progressions, seismology, temperature & heat, petrology & geochemistry and the inter-disciplines between such studies. It quickly becomes obvious that plate tectonics has advanced with various scientific studies confirming and developing a more robust theory, but that the plume studies have tended to complicate the concept into doubt on the overall plume theory.
I was particularly taken by a number of quotes that reflect upon how readers can be swayed by the character of a report, and these concepts may be applied to many other topics, including the climate debate, or lobby groups;
- The most basic characteristic that makes a hypothesis scientific is its predictions, by which it can be tested. Without testable predictions, it is logically invulnerable to falsification, it ceases to be scientific, and degenerates to a faith-based belief.
- Terminology that pre-supposes a cause or an outcome is a hindrance to free thought.
- Terminology influences thinking
- Leading terminology encourages both selective reporting and selective interpretation of data.
One side interest in reading this rather long and technical book was to review my opinion that reports of small islands being drowned by rising oceans in response to climate warming may be wrong, and that such islands may be simply be sinking due to the plume geological processes. This book did not answer my question directly, and I have yet to find reports that measure the sinking / stability of such islands through isostacies or other geological processes.