In the early 1900s , Professor Eduard Suess used the theory to explain the 1908 Messina earthquake , being of the opinion that the Earth 's crust was gradually shrinking everywhere . He also predicted that eruptions would follow the earthquake and tsunami in Southern Italy . He attributed the earthquake to the sinking of the Earth 's crust , in the zone of which the Aeolian Islands are the center . He declared that as the process of sinking went on , the Calabrian and Sicilian highlands on either side of the Straits of Messina would be submerged , only the highest peaks remaining above the sea . The strait , he said , would thereby be greatly widened
1908 Messina earthquake
1908 Messina earthquake
Geophysical global cooling