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.
When did scientists accept the continental drift hypothesis?
However, in the 1950s, evidence started to trickle in that made continental drift a more viable idea. By
the 1960s
, scientists had amassed enough evidence to support the missing mechanism—namely, seafloor spreading—for Wegener’s hypothesis of continental drift to be accepted as the theory of plate tectonics.
Why did scientists not accept the continental drift hypothesis quizlet?
Terms in this set (41) Why did scientists not accept the Continental Drift hypothesis? It was based on observations from the southern hemisphere which was unfamiliar to most geologists. …
it demonstrated that all of the continents where the fossil is found must have been cold when the organism was alive
.
What are 3 types of evidence that support continental drift?
In the early part of the 20th century, scientists began to put together evidence that the continents could move around on Earth’s surface. 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 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 are 2 pieces of evidence for 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
.
Why is continental drift a hypothesis?
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.
Who is the father of continental drift?
Alfred Wegener
: The Father of Continental Drift.
What were Wegener’s four pieces of evidence?
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 the 4 pieces of evidence that support 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.
Why did scientists reject the idea of continental drift at first?
This idea was quickly rejected by the scientific community primarily
because the actual forces generated by the rotation of the earth were calculated to be insufficient to move continents
.
What was the response to Wegener’s hypothesis?
“That was always his response:
Just assert it again, even more strongly
.” By the time Wegener published the final version of his theory, in 1929, he was certain it would sweep other theories aside and pull together all the accumulating evidence into a unifying vision of the earth’s history.
Which fossil evidence supports the idea of continental drift?
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.
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
.
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 is the evidence for continental drift and plate tectonics?
Modern continents hold clues to their distant past.
Evidence from fossils, glaciers, and complementary coastlines
helps reveal how the plates once fit together.
