How long ago have we known about plate tectonics? Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift met vehement opposition at the beginning of the 20th century and it wasn’t until 1950 that the theory became well established. How much do we know about the driving forces at play here? Very little, and although the impact of foraging the earth for minerals and fossil fuels is not clear, there is no doubt that earth’s glaciers becoming lighter as they melt has a direct impact on seismic activity. We were always living on a raging ball of fire. Nothing was ever to be taken for granted. On the bright side, the coming decade will see tremendous advancements in our understanding of plate techtonics. This is because scientists will get to observe the plate’s reaction to the sudden changes caused by all this melting of ice.
