Alfred Wegener, in the first three decades of this century, and DuToit in the 1920s and 1930s gathered evidence that the continents had moved. They based their idea of continental drift on several lines of evidence:
fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils
.
What are 6 pieces of evidence that support continental drift?
- Fossils.
- Continents fit like Puzzle Pieces. Matching fossils preserved in rocks of the same age but found on different continents. Ex. …
- Matching Rocks. Puzzle – like fit of continental shelves. Ex. …
- Mountain Ranges.
- Glacier Striations.
- Coal Beds.
What were 3 pieces of evidence for Wegener’s continental drift theory?
The evidence for continental drift included
the fit of the continents; the distribution of ancient fossils, rocks, and mountain ranges; and the locations of ancient climatic zones
.
What evidence best supports the theory of continental drift?
Fossil Evidence
One type of evidence that strongly supported the Theory of Continental Drift is
the fossil record
. Fossils of similar types of plants and animals in rocks of a similar age have been found on the shores of different continents, suggesting that the continents were once joined.
How did Alfred Wegener discover continental drift?
Searching for evidence to further develop his theory of continental drift, Wegener came
across a paleontological paper suggesting that a land bridge had once connected Africa with Brazil
. … Another observation favoring continental drift was the presence of evidence for continental glaciation in the Pensylvanian period.
What are 3 pieces of evidence for Pangea?
Alfred Wegener, in the first three decades of this century, and DuToit in the 1920s and 1930s gathered evidence that the continents had moved. They based their idea of continental drift on several lines of evidence:
fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils
.
What are two pieces of evidence for seafloor spreading?
Several types of evidence from the oceans supported Hess’s theory of sea-floor spreading-
evidence from molten material, magnetic stripes, and drilling samples
. This evidence also led sci- entists to look again at Wegener’s theory of continental drift.
Which of the following answers is evidence for continental drift except?
Wegener used all the following to provide evidence for continental drift except :
age of selected continental rocks
.
How do we know Pangea existed?
The rock formations of eastern North America, Western Europe, and northwestern Africa were later found to have a common origin, and they overlapped in time with the presence of Gondwanaland. Together, these discoveries supported the existence of Pangea. … Modern geology has shown that
Pangea did actually exist
.
What is continental drift theory explain?
Continental drift was a
theory that explained how continents shift position on Earth’s surface
. Set forth in 1912 by Alfred Wegener, a geophysicist and meteorologist, continental drift also explained why look-alike animal and plant fossils, and similar rock formations, are found on different continents.
What are the 4 evidences of continental drift?
They based their idea of continental drift on several lines of evidence:
fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils
.
What is the best piece of evidence for plate tectonics?
Evidence from
fossils, glaciers, and complementary coastlines
helps reveal how the plates once fit together. Fossils tell us when and where plants and animals once existed. Some life “rode” on diverging plates, became isolated, and evolved into new species.
What is the difference between plate tectonics and continental drift?
The main difference between plate tectonics and continental drift is that
plate tectonics describes the features and movement of Earth’s surface in the present and in the past
whereas continental drift describes the drifting of Earth’s continents on the ocean bed.
Why did no one believe Wegener’s theory?
The main reason that Wegener’s hypothesis was not accepted was
because he suggested no mechanism for moving the continents
. He thought the force of Earth’s spin was sufficient to cause continents to move, but geologists knew that rocks are too strong for this to be true.
What two major landmasses broke apart from Pangaea?
Pangaea begins to break up and splits into two major landmasses —
Laurasia in the north, made up of North America and Eurasia
, and Gondwana in the south, made up of the other continents.
What did Pangaea mean?
Over millions of years, the continents broke apart from a single landmass called Pangea and moved to their present positions. … Its name is derived from the Greek pangaia, meaning
“all the Earth
.”
