Controversies over scientific opinions are not uncommon in the evolution of the different branches of science. Creation versus evolution is one such prominent case that raged for a long. Big bang versus steady state is another example. Each piece of scientific data presented in favour or against the two opposing views is being subjected to intense scrutiny not just by opposing camps of scientists but also by interested citizenry. The hypothesis of Plate Tectonics caught the imagination of vast majority of earth scientists although the fact remains that only 0.0001% of ocean floor had been mapped to any degree of certainty and vast tracks of continents remained unmapped by early 1960s when plate tectonics was formulated and propounded. However, right from its inception plate tectonics continued to be contested by scientists based in different part of the world, though miniscule in overall numbers. Now with the modern technological innovations, leading towards sea floor mapping and deep continental drillings, the earlier sceptism catches grip with solid scientific reasoning.
In this backdrop, the Transect and the Indian chapter of NCGT will host this international conference to discuss data on current understanding and developments about Earth dynamics and to scrutinize where we are onto.
The Conference opens with a prologue “State of art in Global Tectonics - a snapshot” and culminates with a panel discussion “Geocognition – sensing the planetary system”. Along with the programme one day geological field trip will be organized in and around venue.
For details visit http://transect.in/edpd/Default.aspx
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