Jornal de Geologia e Geofísica
Acesso livre

Abstrato

Griggs Theory of the Viscosity of Rocks: A Chain of Mistakes

William M DeJong, Gea Mulder

In engineering, plates of rock are known for their resistance against high stress and applied as stable building material or underlayment. In geology, on the other hand, it is established knowledge that large plates of rock under high stress behave like a fluid, possess the intrinsic property of viscosity, and can be described with the equations of fluid dynamics. This geological knowledge rests on the theory of David Griggs of the viscosity of rocks (1939). Its assessment reveals a chain of seven mistakes, each of them violating one or more principles of correct academic research.