Continental drift was a theory that explained how continents shift position on Earth’s surface . Set forth in 1912 by Alfred Wegener
What is continental drift theory explain?
Continental drift describes one of the earliest ways geologists thought continents moved over time . ... In the early 20th century, Wegener published a paper explaining his theory that the continental landmasses were “drifting” across the Earth, sometimes plowing through oceans and into each other.
What is the main point of the continental drift theory?
Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth’s continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have “drifted” across the ocean bed . The speculation that continents might have ‘drifted’ was first put forward by Abraham Ortelius in 1596.
What evidence supports the theory of continental drift?
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 are the 4 evidence 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 nickname for continental drift?
What is the nickname for continental drift? Pangea’s existence was first proposed in 1912 by German meteorologist Alfred Wegener as a part of his theory of continental drift. Its name is derived from the Greek pangaia, meaning “all the Earth.”
What is continental drift theory class 11?
The theory of continental drift points out that the Earth’s continents are constantly drifting away from each other . According to this theory: all the continents were one single continental mass (called a Super Continent) – Pangaea. The earth’s crust is made of up of many sections called tectonic plates.
Why was the continental drift theory rejected?
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.
Who is the father of continental drift?
Alfred Wegener : The Father of Continental Drift.
Are the continents floating?
The continents do not float on a sea of molten rock . ... Under the continents is a layer of solid rock known as the upper mantle or asthenosphere. Though solid, this layer is weak and ductile enough to slowly flow under heat convection, causing the tectonic plates to move.
What are three pieces of evidence for plate tectonics?
There is variety of evidence that supports the claims that plate tectonics accounts for (1) the distribution of fossils on different continents, (2) the occurrence of earthquakes , and (3) continental and ocean floor features including mountains, volcanoes, faults, and trenches.
What do you mean by continental crust?
Continental crust, the outermost layer of Earth’s lithosphere that makes up the planet’s continents and continental shelves and is formed near subduction zones at plate boundaries between continental and oceanic tectonic plates. The continental crust forms nearly all of Earth’s land surface.
What are 5 pieces of evidence of continental drift?
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 is the evidence for Pangea?
Glacial deposits, specifically till, of the same age and structure are found on many separate continents that would have been together in the continent of Pangaea. Fossil evidence for Pangaea includes the presence of similar and identical species on continents that are now great distances apart .
What is the second evidence of continental drift theory?
Alfred Wegener collected diverse pieces of evidence to support his theory, including geological “fit” and fossil evidence . Another important piece of evidence in the Continental Drift theory is the fossil relevance. ... There are various examples of fossils found on separate continents and in no other regions.
Did dinosaurs live on Pangea?
Dinosaurs lived on all of the continents . At the beginning of the age of dinosaurs (during the Triassic Period, about 230 million years ago), the continents were arranged together as a single supercontinent called Pangea. During the 165 million years of dinosaur existence this supercontinent slowly broke apart.
