Indeed - at no point does the article quote a geologist expressing surprise at the result. There are quotes saying, in effect, that new data overthrows or requi

Indeed - at no point does the article quote a geologist expressing surprise at the result. There are quotes saying, in effect, that new data overthrows or requires modification of a previously-held conjecture, but that is not the same as surprise. Experts in a given field are usually well aware of how conjectural a hypothesis is, as that is where current research is focused.