Expanding Earth - Scientific Consensus

Scientific Consensus

The theory had never developed a plausible and verifiable mechanism of action, but neither had any of its competing theories. During the 1960s, the theory of plate tectonics made all other theories obsolete following the discovery of subduction, which was found to be an important part of a mechanism of action.

Generally, the scientific community finds that there is no evidence in support of the Expanding Earth theory, and there is evidence against it:

• Measurements with modern high-precision geodetic techniques show that the Earth is not currently increasing in size to within a measurement accuracy of 0.2 mm per year. The lead author of the study stated "Our study provides an independent confirmation that the solid Earth is not getting larger at present, within current measurement uncertainties". The motions of tectonic plates and subduction zones measured by a large range of geological, geodetic and geophysical techniques supports plate tectonics.

• Mass accretion on a scale required to change the Earth's radius is contradicted by the current accretion rate of the Earth, and by the Earth's average internal temperature: any accretion releases a lot of energy, which would warm the planet's interior.

• Expanding Earth models based on thermal expansion contradict most modern principles from rheology, and fail to provide an acceptable explanation for the proposed melting and phase transitions.

• Paleomagnetic data has been used to calculate that the radius of the Earth 400 million years ago was 102 ± 2.8 percent of today's radius.

• Examinations of data from the Paleozoic and Earth's moment of inertia suggest that there has been no significant change of earth's radius in the last 620 million years.