THE AUSTRIAN GEOLOGIST OTTO AMPFERER AS FOUNDER OF THE SEA-FLOOR
SPREADING CONCEPT A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF EARTH SCIENCES
Author(s): Erich Thenius
Source: Earth Sciences History , 1984, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1984), pp. 174-177
Published by: History of Earth Sciences Society
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24135822
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THE AUSTRIAN GEOLOGIST OTTO AMPFERER AS
FOUNDER OF THE SEA-FLOOR SPREADING CONCEPT
A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF EARTH SCIENCES
Erich Thenius
Institute for Palaeontology
University of Vienna
A-1010 Vienna, Austria
ABSTRACT
Although Hess is generally credited with the concept of sea
floor spreading in 1960, his work was anticipated by the Austrian
geologist 0. Ampferer for the Atlantic in 1941. First attempts
in this direction were made by Ampferer (1925) and Holmes
(1931). The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the
work of the Austrian geologist Otto Ampferer.
The history of science shows time and the mid-oceanic ridge axis),
time again that certain "new" ideas are not
new, but rather have been previously With this theory not only was the
developed and presented. One need only development of the oceans clarified in
recall the theory of continental drift, first principle, but also continental "drift" was
proposed by A. Wegener in 1912 as a confirmed. Continental drift has been
hypothesis and repeatedly expanded in later documented since the 1950 's by paleomagnetic
publications (1929). Similar opinions had data and is therefore also accepted by
been voiced long before Wegener by Francis geophysicists. On the other hand, the causes
Bacon (1620), Theodor Lilienthal (1756), of continental drift (rising magma masses in
Antonio Snider-Pellegrini (1858) and F.B. the central region of the mid-oceanic ridge or
Taylor (1910), although an adequate descending oceanic plates in subduction zones)
foundation of their views was lacking have in no way been clarified. Settling this
(compare Rupke 1970). question is not the task of this article; it
seeks, rather, to acquaint those in the
In the past 25 years two theories have broader field of geosciences with the all but
led to a revolution in the geosciences: sea- neglected insights and views of Otto
floor spreading and plate tectonics. Based Ampferer. As a result of his death shortly
on océanographie studies, U.S. geologist- after WWII he was unable to even advocate his
oceanographer H.H. Hess in 1960 first views, first published in 1941, among
developed his sea-floor spreading concept geologists in his native country. Otto
which, in the anticipation of controversy, he Ampferer, as a mapping geologist in the Alps,
termed geopoetry (see Dietz 1961, Hess not only concerned himself with the
1962). Today this concept has been accepted multivarious appearance of no doubt the most
by the majority of geoscientists. It complicated mountain system in the world, but
proposes that oceans are neither constant also tried to explain the probable cause of
over millions of years nor formed through mountain building. In his capacity as a
subsidence of the continental lithosphère, tectonics expert, he had already published
but rather by means of a gradual spreading of (Ampferer 1906) the so-called "Unterströ
the sea floor. This sea-floor spreading pro- mungstheorie" (theory of convection currents
ceeded from the central region of the mid- in the earth mantle), after the geophysicist
oceanic ridge known as the Rift Valley. 0. Fisher (1904) first recognized the
Continuous or episodic extrusion of magmatic influence of convection currents in the earth
material (basalt) takes place here through mantle on the earth's crust (=1ithosphere).
convection currents in the upper earth's Ampferer held convection currents in the non
mantle. This magmatic activity has been solidified mantle to be responsible for the
proved by a more intensive seismic activity building of mountains; descending currents
in the Rift Valley. Further it has also been were considered to exert a subsidence force,
observed directly and documented by whereas ascending currents were a separating
exploratory dives with deep-sea submarines force on the upper lithosphère
(for example the "Famous"-expedition in the ("Deckschichten") (see also Ampferer 1939).
Atlantic, see Riffaud & Le Pichon 1977). Sea- According to Ampferer, repeated metamorphoses
floor spreading has been verified by the as well as assimilations of the rocks occur
increasing age of ocean sediments towards the during these processes leading to folded
margins of the continents and finally by mountains. With his "Unterströmungstheorie",
paleomagnetism (repeated reversals of Ampferer placed himself primary in opposition
polarity and subsequent normal and reverse to the proponents of the contraction theory as
paleomagnetisms of the ocean basin in the advocated by alpine geologists from Ellie de
form of magnetic anomaly patterns parallel to Beaumont (1829) to Leopold Kober (1955).
Earth Sciences History, v. 3, no. 2, 1984
pp. 174 - 177.
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Although Ampferer recognized horizontal on the following page, he added:
displacements as being responsible for the
development of folded mountains, he rejected "Die Auseinanderschiebung der
the views of Wegener (1912, 1929) regarding Kontinente erfolgte also ziemlich
continental drift, as this would imply that symmetrisch von dem zentralen
the ocean basins were exposed and the oceans Mittelrücken aus in
formed by displacement of the overlying, entgegengesetzter Richtung
lighter continental crust. Rather, according und Südamerika wurde dabei
to Ampferer (1925, p. 671), such displacement Europa-Afrika aber gegen 0
would have led to a moving apart (of the verschoben" (Fig. 2). "Der
continents) and a "Neugießung" (fresh Unterschied gegen die Csic!}
casting) of the ocean floor (for the Theorie von Wegener besteht also
Atlantic), while descending, subsident moye- in der Zuhilfenahme einer
ments applied for the region of the Pacific doppelseitigen Bewegung von dem
(margin) (1925, p. 675). He specified his atlantischen Mittelrücken aus",
views more precisely in "Gedanken über das ("The spreading of the continent
Bewegungsbild des atlantischen Raumes" proceeded in a rather symmetri
(Thoughts on the pattern of movement in the fashion and in opposing direct
Atlantic) (Ampferer, 1941) which took newly from the central ridge. Thus
published echo sounding data from the German North and South America were
"Meteor" expedition in the Atlantic into displaced towards the west, Eur
account. Ampferer recognized the fundamen- -Africa towards the east"
tal significance for éarth sciences of the (Fig. 2). "The distinction from
new findings on the Atlantic basin, parti- the theory of Wegener consists in
cularly for tectonics. At that time he had the assumption of a two direc
already come to the conclusion that the tional movement progessing from
central
mid-Atlantic
ridge corresponds to the the mid-Atlantic ridge"),
site
at which
the originally uniform
continental plate of America and Euro-Africa
broke apart. At these sites a rising of in the caption to his figur
magmatic masses came first and was then as figure 2, Ampferer writes f
followed by nearly symmetrical spreading of the central Atlantic between Br
both continental masses from the central Africa "schräge Verschiebungen
ridge (Fig. 1). displacements) and "Zerreißungen" (fractions)
developed at the mid-oceanic ridge.
Dislocations of this type were later termed
transform faults by Wilson (1965).
Ampferer (1941:27) also linked the arced
course of the Lesser Antillean island belt and
the Scotia Ridge between South America and
West Antarctica with movement: "Hier ist die
Unterströmung in die Tiefe gesunken und hat
Fig. 1. Diagram of the origin of the
Fig. 1. Ocean
Diagram
ofconvection
the origin
of in
the fjas versinken mit einer Verschluckungsrin
Atlantic
through
currents
Atlantic
Ocean
through
convection
currents in (Tiefseegraben) angemerkt". ("Here the
the upper mantle according to Ampferer.
the upper
mantle
according
to Ampferer. 'Unterstromungen' have plunged into the d
Hatched
area =
continents;
the mid-Atlantic
Hatched
areaat
=+,continents;
thetwo
mid-Atlantic and have marked its descent with a subducti
ridge
develops
from which the
ridge
develops
at
+,
from
which
the two- trough"). Ampferer therefore also recogni
dimensional symmetrical growth of the
dimensional
symmetrical
of the the link between island belts and deep-sea
Atlantic
proceeded.
Redrawn
after growth
Ampferer
Atlantic
proceeded.
Redrawn
after Ampferer trenches, although he did not refer to ocea
1941, figure 1.
1941, figure 1. plates, subduction and Benioff zones. In the
following year, Austrian geophysicist
Schwinner (1942) combined these features in a
Ampferer (1941: 22) wrote: tectonic synthesis of the Pacific which was
already in agreement with later plate
"Kommt... unter einer großen tectonics.
Kontinentmasse eine genügend
starke und länger anhaltende
aufsteigende Massenströmung jn this sense 0. Ampferer had already
zustande, so kann sie im Laufe anticipated the principle of sea-floor
der Zeit die Kontinentmasse spreading in the year 1941 without introdu
durchbrechen und auseinander- a specific term for his views on the orig
treiben. An der Stelle der the Atlantic. In developing his sea-flo
Zerreißung wird zuerst ein Auf- spreading concept, Hess (1962) no doubt
dringen tieferer Massen eintreten. unaware of Ampferer's view; nevertheless m
Dies ist die Geburt des zentralen more data were available to him in 1960
Mittelrückens." ("Should...a suffi- to Ampferer in his day. Thus, it is all
ciently intense and more pro- more fitting to credit Ampferer for havin
tracted ascending current develop, recognized the principle of sea-floor
then it may in the course of time spreading. It appears justified to
break through and force the acknowledge him as the founder of the con
continental
mass
apart.
masses
will initially
emerge
at
the site of rupture. This is the
birth of the central ridge".)
Deeper of sea-floor spreading,
175
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Fig. 2. The floor of the Atlantic Ocean with the mid-Atlantic ridge, including
lateral rises (stippled) and transform faults (xxx). Arc comprising the Lesser
Antilles and the Scotia Ridge (...) formed by "UnterStrömung" (subduction).
Modified and redrawn after Ampferer 1941, figure 6.
OTTO AMPFERER; A BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE (subduction or Benioff zones). Ampferer also
realized that convection currents in the
Otto Ampferer was born December 1, 1875, upper mantle were responsible for the
at Hoetting near Innsbruck and died July 9, Atlantic Ocean.
1947, in Innsbruck. Considered one of the
most important Alpine geologists, Ampferer
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