EARTH SCIENCE TOPIC N 1

EPPUR SE MOUVE!
HISTORY OF SCIENCE EARTH THEORIES

Imagine the following fictional situation:

Three men, Thomas Burnet, Abraham G. Werner and James Hutton, were getting
together on a cloud in the sky over the Andes. From there they were looking at a young
reporter who, in front of a camera, was talking about the release of ash of the Chaitn
Volcano, with a possible imminent eruption. The reporter explained that the volcano was
releasing ashes at that moment but with the slightest seismic activity lava could be released
as well. She also mentioned that while some people were running announcing the end of the
world, others were staying watching their houses over the mountainside without any
intention of moving away. The three spirits looked to each other through the ashes that were
coming to the sky and discussed the way in which the reporter was informing this situation.

Write three paragraphs of, at least, half a page in which you will use the voice of each of the
three characters separately. The characters should report the events as if they were the reporter.
Make explicit the main contents of the geological theory that each supported and show which
character you are talking about.

Thomas Burnet: The end of the world is coming. As the bible predicted, lava will cover
the earth. Fire will consume the earth and there is nothing we can do about it, no matter
how far we run. Lakes of fire and rivers of shiny red matter will be formed while all of
earth volcanoes will vomit its glowing lava. Ashes from the inner centre of the planet are
starting to cover the whole atmosphere, creating new layers of materials, which will give
the earth its former perfect and smooth structure. By the end of all this suffering, all the
huge cities man created and all the natural wonders that our mighty God made will be
destroyed by His own will.
Abraham Werner: This volcano, as many others, has little effect on Earths crust.
Volcanoes add few sediments and rocks to the outer layer of the planet, while water is
the main source for the formation of rocks. When water precipitates, its dissolved
sediments precipitate and add rock layers to the crust. The basalt on earth crust
becomes from the oceans. As it contains fossils, it cannot be created inside volcanoes.
As earths crust is largely covered by basalts, oceans (and not volcanoes) are the main
generators of rocks. The universal Deluge formed a huge layer of rocks.
James Hutton: This volcano, as all the others, is the main generator of rocks around
earths crust. The lava that flows from inside the crust solidifies and forms rocks, and the
ashes that remain suspended on the air will later deposit as sediments on the crust.
There is no such thing as the formation of rocks through sedimentation of particles
suspended on the oceans water; and therefore, the Universal Deluge did not form any
layer of rock on Earths crust. Furthermore, Earths age, as depicted on the Bible is
totally wrong. Earth might be more than 75.000 years old!