This book has been produced in response to the wide interest shown in the Symposium on Continental Drift which was organized by the Royal Society in March 1964 and first published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, volume 258 (1965). The last decade has produced a wealth of new evidence, mainly from palaeomagnetism which has caused much re-thinking about Continental Drift. The time was therefore ripe to bring together leading scientists from all over the world working in many branches of geophysics to hear and exchange new evidence and new ideas on what has for a long time been a lively and stimulating hypothesis. The papers cover two broad topics: new evidence for Continental Drift and possible mechanisms to explain Continental Drift. The former includes reviews of the geological evidence, palaeomagnetic evidence, the geometric fits of the continents, horizontal displacements of the Earth’s crust and evidence from the structures of the ocean floors. The second topic is more controversial and is mainly concerned with convection motions which might occur in the Earth’s mantle and provide the drifting forces for horizontal displacements and movements of the continents. The Symposium is introduced by Professor P. M. S. Blackett, F.R.S. and the concluding remarks are by Sir Edward Bullard, F.R.S.

Condition: Okay, Damage to spine