Lowthian Green՚s Tetrahedron Hypothesis on Origin of Continents and Oceans YouTube Lecture Handouts

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Lowthian Green՚s Tetrahedron Hypothesis - Origin of Earth - 5 Key Aspects

  • Theory is based on geometrical principles
  • Elie de Beaumont – first attempted this - pentagonal dodecahedral hypothesis with 12 faces
Illustration: Lowthian Green՚s Tetrahedron Hypothesis on Origin of Continents and Oceans YouTube Lecture Handouts
  • Lowthian gave the hypothesis in 1875 – tetrahedral hypothesis
  • His concept was supported by Fairbrain.
  • Later ₹ Morgan & SW Woolridge worked on Lowthian Principles

Platonic solid is a regular, convex polyhedron constructed by congruent (identical in shape and size) regular (all angles equal and all sides equal) polygonal faces having same number of faces meeting at each vertex.

Illustration: Lowthian Green՚s Tetrahedron Hypothesis on Origin of Continents and Oceans YouTube Lecture Handouts
  • Tetrahedron: Solid body having four equal plane surfaces, each of which is an equilateral triangle
  • According to theory, process of cooling, to take the form of a tetrahedron or triangular pyramid, with four faces and four corners or coigns.
  • Depressions and faces of the pyramid would be sea while coigns (corners) would reach out along the edges to form continents.
  • In late 19th & 20th century superseded by continental drift and plate tectonics.

Hypothesis Propounded

  • A sphere is that body which contains the largest volume with respect to its surface area
  • A tetrahedron is that body which contains the least volume with respect to its surface area

Criticism

  • Corners would sink to form a stable shape. Small globe can but enormous earth cannot.
  • Again, continents are made of light SIAL and oceans made of SIMA (heavier) . Contraction could not account for distribution of continents without considering SIMA and SIAL.
  • Balance of the earth in the form of a tetrahedron while rotating on an apex cannot be maintained.
  • Earth rotates rapidly on its axis & spherical earth cannot be converted into a tetrahedron while contracting on cooling.
  • Hypothesis of permanency of continents and ocean basins has been rejected by plate tectonic that validated continental drift concept.

Manishika