David Ford: Difference between revisions

David Ford
David Ford
Residence	Townsville, QLD, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	James Cook University
Known for	Expanding Earth; Excess Mass Stress Tectonics
	Scientific career
Fields	Geology

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Revision as of 08:45, 17 July 2026

David J. Ford is an Australian geologist based in Townsville, North Queensland, who is known as a proponent of the Expanding Earth model and as a collaborator in the development of Excess Mass Stress Tectonics (EMST), an alternative geodynamic framework to conventional plate tectonics.

Biography

Ford studied geology at James Cook University in North Queensland. During his first week of study he encountered S. Warren Carey's 1976 book The Expanding Earth in the university library, and became interested in the expanding-Earth interpretation of the planet's geology. He has recounted that the model received little serious treatment in his undergraduate lectures, with instructors either unfamiliar with it or dismissive of it, which motivated his continued interest in the subject.

Scientific contributions

Ford advocates the Earth expansion model as an alternative to the standard plate-drift and subduction framework of plate tectonics. He argues that plate tectonics, although widely used as a working interpretive framework, leaves numerous geological observations unresolved, and that an expanding-Earth model offers a more integrated explanation of the planet's tectonism and history.

Ford has collaborated with the Greek seismologist and geophysicist Stavros T. Tassos of the Institute of Geodynamics, National Observatory of Athens, on Excess Mass Stress Tectonics (EMST). EMST proposes a solid, quantified, growing and radiating Earth, in which geodynamic phenomena are attributed to excess mass stress rather than to a thermally driven heat engine. Within this framework, new mass is held to form in the Earth's interior and to be added to the overlying mantle, with implications the authors extend to topics such as the inorganic (abiotic) origin of hydrocarbons.

Expanding-Earth and EMST ideas are not accepted within mainstream geology, which regards plate tectonics as well established and the expanding-Earth hypothesis as lacking a viable physical mechanism.

Abstracts

2005 - "Excess Mass Stress Tectonics - EMST" (Read in full)
2005 - "Z-infinity Space"

External links

"Excess Mass Stress Tectonics - EMST" abstract

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 | alt = David Ford
 | residence = Townsville, QLD, Australia
-| known_for = [[Expanding Earth]]
+| nationality = Australian
+| fields = [[Geology]]
+| alma_mater = [[James Cook University]]
+| known_for = [[Expanding Earth]]<br>Excess Mass Stress Tectonics
 }}
-In my view, the prime reason Earth expansion has not been generally accepted to date is due to an appalling lack of education concerning the Earth expansion model rather than any "unworkable" flaw integral within the model.  This, combined with the fact that plate tectonics provides a plausible interpretative framework within most geological settings, lulls geologists into using it as their professional "working" model.  In this way, geologists become conditioned to passively tolerate and ignore the numerous interpretative failures of the standard plate drift and subduction theory.  Because of this, geologists often put their unresolved interpretative problems on the back-burner and move on to other areas.  They are fully aware that this is not an ideal state of affairs but they don't know what else to do.  They do not know that there is another scientific explanation of the Earth's Tectonism and history.  Because of this, they don't investigate the potential of the Earth expansion model to solve their unresolved or intractable geological issues.  A much more capable, integrated explanation of the Earth exists which does away with the dubious application and interpretative failures of the plate tectonic theory.
+'''David J. Ford''' is an Australian geologist based in Townsville, North Queensland, who is known as a proponent of the [[Expanding Earth]] model and as a collaborator in the development of Excess Mass Stress Tectonics (EMST), an alternative geodynamic framework to conventional [[plate tectonics]].
-Some years ago, whilst attending a third year lecture on regional geology at James Cook University in North Queensland, one of my lecturers made brief  mention of the Earth Expansion model, along with a few observations concerning, "loony Professor Careys' sanity in comparison to the cuckoo birds" (etc.).  Other students present in the lecture were quite mystified as to who Professor Carey was and what the heck this expansion theory was all about.  They certainly received a non-scientific introduction and an equally non-scientific dismissal of this relevant and unifying geological model.
+==Biography==
+Ford studied geology at [[James Cook University]] in North Queensland. During his first week of study he encountered [[Samuel Warren Carey|S. Warren Carey]]'s 1976 book ''The Expanding Earth'' in the university library, and became interested in the expanding-Earth interpretation of the planet's geology. He has recounted that the model received little serious treatment in his undergraduate lectures, with instructors either unfamiliar with it or dismissive of it, which motivated his continued interest in the subject.
-When I inquired of this particular lecturer concerning his scientific view of the Earth expansion model he stated that the principle problem he had with it was, "the lack of a mechanism to explain the expansion".  He did not raise any further reservations or objections he had with the model.  It took two and a half years of lectures to hear a brief derogatory reference to a scientific model that should have been covered in detail from the first semester of study - just as plate tectonics had been.
+==Scientific contributions==
+Ford advocates the Earth expansion model as an alternative to the standard plate-drift and subduction framework of [[plate tectonics]]. He argues that plate tectonics, although widely used as a working interpretive framework, leaves numerous geological observations unresolved, and that an expanding-Earth model offers a more integrated explanation of the planet's tectonism and history.
-The only reason why I knew who Professor S. Warren Carey was, is because I discovered his first book "The Expanding Earth" (Carey, 1976) in the University library during my first week of study at JCU.  I became well aquatinted with this strange model.  I was intrigued as to why an experienced senior academic geologist would entertain the bizarre notion that the Earth is and has been expanding--exponentially!  I was already quite familiar with plate tectonics from reading several texts but Carey's book represented another explanation of the Earth's geology that radically departed from the standard contemporary interpretation, but still seemed to conform acceptably to the geological evidence!  It conformed more closely to geological data than the continental-drift subduction model or offered a more satisfying geological interpretation.
+Ford has collaborated with the Greek seismologist and geophysicist [[Stavros T Tassos|Stavros T. Tassos]] of the Institute of Geodynamics, National Observatory of Athens, on Excess Mass Stress Tectonics (EMST). EMST proposes a solid, quantified, growing and radiating Earth, in which geodynamic phenomena are attributed to excess mass stress rather than to a thermally driven heat engine. Within this framework, new mass is held to form in the Earth's interior and to be added to the overlying mantle, with implications the authors extend to topics such as the inorganic (abiotic) origin of hydrocarbons.
-I mentioned this expansion model to several lecturers but was perplexed to find that although most had heard of it, none exhibited any clear knowledge or understanding of it - some lecturers though it was, "surplus to requirements", or, "irrelevant to modern geology".
+Expanding-Earth and EMST ideas are not accepted within mainstream geology, which regards plate tectonics as well established and the expanding-Earth hypothesis as lacking a viable physical mechanism.
 ==Abstracts==
 * 2005 - "[[Excess Mass Stress Tectonics - EMST]]" ([http://www.naturalphilosophy.org/pdf/abstracts/abstracts_301.pdf Read in full])
 * 2005 - "[[Z-infinity Space]]"
+==External links==
+* [http://www.naturalphilosophy.org/pdf/abstracts/abstracts_301.pdf "Excess Mass Stress Tectonics - EMST" abstract]
 [[Category:Scientist|Ford David]]
 [[Category:Expansion Tectonics|Ford David]]