Earth Expansion Evidence: a Challenge for Geology, Geophysics and Astronomy

Abstract

The last century was dominated by the creation of scientific theories: the newborn Relativistic, Quantum and Cosmological Theories are proper examples. The Earth Sciences followed this trend by proposing the principles of Plate tectonics. On the contrary, the concept of the Expanding Earth was not developed as a commonly accepted paradigm, but was an open field of original investigations, interpretations, and results. This innovative attitude is evident in the di erent interpretations of the Pacific and Indian oceans paleogeographical evolution; in the cosmological or incidental motor of expansion (still to be identified); in the different estimates of the Earth’s radial expansion. This is a positive sign of vitality: we cannot crystallize these ideas in a few postulates from which we may deduce all the answers, and to which we may constrain all data. The Expanding Planet scheme provides a common explanation of several complex and debated issues relating to Paleontology, Paleomagnetism, Geology and Climatology. The Workshop, through oral and poster contributions, will cover a wide range of issues in a field that, although supported by compelling evidence, is still in search of a definite and commonly accepted cause for the expansion. Our final goal is to explore the Expanding Earth concept from di erent scientific perspectives. Some important new entries come from Physics and these can suitably be linked to clues derived from Paleogeography, Paleontology, Life Evolution, Climatology, ... etc. It is perhaps of particular significance that these progresses in Physics, towards a material physical space, will be presented at the Ettore Majorana Centre, considering that the uncle and mentor of Ettore Majorana was Quirino Majorana, a physicist who performed several experiments with a view to revealing the material essence of gravity. A group of non-expansionist researchers in the fields of Geodesy, Oceanography and Seismology, have accepted our invitation to deliver lectures to our community to clarify the limits and show up the new ways that expansionists should consider while building their new interpretations. The Poster session is going to be full of high quality presentations and also of papers by outstanding scientists in absentia, who will not be able to come to Erice. The Workshop should be a forum for sharing ideas and for promoting the convergence of aims, but also given that we are the so-called heretics in Geosciences the birthplace of new and original ideas, possibly destined to become the accepted conceptions in the future. Acknowledgements. The Directors of the Workshop, Stefan Cwojdzi´nski and Giancarlo Scalera, wish to heartily thank Prof. Antonino Zichichi and Prof. Enzo Boschi for their great far-sightedness in accepting and making possible the realization of this Conference at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture. They have been confident of a project whose success was not guaranteed in advance. The followers of the expansion tectonics are just a few today and do not have a central and o cial position in academic institutions, but are animated by the inner certainty of being on the right track. This Workshop represents a further encouragement to continue our work on the several di erent aspects of the Expanding Earth concept. The General Director of INGV, Tullio Pepe and the Head of the Cultural Services Fabio Florindo have greatly facilitated the administrative aspects of the event. The organization of the Earth Expansion Evidence meeting would not have been possible without the invaluable collaboration of Silvia Nardi who sometimes with firm hand has assumed the role of vice-directors , and without the important contribution of all the sta of the EMFCSC, supervised by Mrs. Fiorella Ruggiu. We thanks Barbara Angioni, Daniela Riposati, Luigi Innocenzi , Stefano Bucci, Davide Di Luigi, and Alessandro Bannoni, who have kindly and creatively collaborated to the colourful graphics and aesthetic look of the Erices Meeting.