Contracting Earth Theory, or
geophysical global cooling if you want to get all science-y about it, was a theory before the idea of plate tectonics ever came about that said the Earth is actually getting smaller over time, and the shrinking Earth is what causes natural disasters as well as the natural wonders of nature, such as mountain ranges.
The idea is that the Earth consists of molten rock, and as the interior of the Earth cools and contracts, so too does the surface, leading to mountains springing up left and right, often turning into volcanoes when the planet needs to vomit up whatever it can't keep down in its own Earth version of a stomach. The theory has in fact been used in real, bona fide scientific research, notably by a guy named Professor Edward Suess in order to explain an earthquake. We know what you're thinking, and the answer is no, that's not the same Dr. Suess, because the name is spelled differently, and also because the guy who wrote Green Eggs and Ham couldn't have possibly been that dumb.
