contracting Earth hypothesis

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | 507 words | Copyright

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.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "contracting Earth hypothesis." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "contracting Earth hypothesis." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-contractingEarthhypothess.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "contracting Earth hypothesis." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-contractingEarthhypothess.html

Learn more about citation styles