The Earth's Shifting Crust by Charles Hapgood - wire of information

364
EARTH'S SHIFTING CRUST
extend themselves during possibly considerable periods of
time.
Mr. Hapgood next described the geological evidence of
world-wide fracture systems extending through the crust, and
weakening it, and the remarkable similarity of these patterns
to those which, theoretically, would result from a movement
of the crust. Dr. Einstein expressed the keenest interest in
this evidence.
Mr. Hapgood referred to the Hough-Urry findings
of the
dates of climatic change in Antarctica during the Pleistocene.
Dr. Einstein stated that the method of radioactive dating de-
veloped by W. D. Urry
was sound and reliable. As a re-
sult, Dr. Einstein was in full agreement that the data from
Antarctica, indicating that that continent enjoyed a temperate
climate at a time when a continental icecap lay over
much of North America, virtually compel the conclusion that
a shift of the earth's entire crust must have taken place.
Dr. Einstein asked Mr. Hapgood what objections geologists
had been making to the theory. Mr. Hapgood replied that
it was principally a question of the number of such move-
ments, Urry's evidence would imply four such displacements
at irregular intervals during the last 50,000 years. 1 Dr. Einstein
replied that this seemed to be a large number. How-
ever, he said, if the evidence could not be explained in any
other way, even this large number would have to be accepted.
The gradualistic notions common in geology were, in his
opinion, merely a habit of mind, and were not necessarily
justified by the empirical data.
At this point the discussion turned to astronomy. Mr. Hapgood
did not understand why men who would boggle at the
rate of change required by the theory of crustal movements
thought nothing of accepting the view that the entire universe
had been created in half an hour. Dr. Einstein said that,
unfortunately, the evidence seemed to point that way. After
iThis figure was subsequently revised, in the light of much geological evi-
dence (Chs. VII, VIII, IX), to three displacements in the last 130,000 years.