Continental Drift
The theory of continental drift, proposed by Alfred Wegener in the early 20th century, revolutionized our understanding of Earth's geological history. It posits that continents were once part of a single supercontinent called Pangaea, which later fragmented and drifted apart over millions of years. This groundbreaking concept challenged the prevailing views of static continents and provided a framework for explaining various geological phenomena, such as the distribution of fossils and rock formations across continents. Continental drift laid the foundation for modern plate tectonics theory and continues to shape our understanding of Earth's dynamic processes.
Questions
- What is Wallace's Line?
- How does sonar help prove Wegener's theory of continental drift?
- What is a transform fault?
- What is the difference between the theory of continental drift and plate tectonics?
- Los Angeles lies on the plate. San Jose lies on the North American plate. How will the distance between the two cities change over millions of years?
- What is the theory of continental drift?
- A trench is evidence of which kind of plate boundary? Question 40 options: 1) Divergent 2) Convergent 3) Transform 4) Uniform
- Are the edges of the continents and edges of tectonic plates the same? Why?
- How did sea floor spreading support Wegener's theory of continental drift?
- How does Pangaea relate to continental drift?
- What (if anything) did Wegener propose as a mechanism for continental drift? Did this help or hurt his ability to convince other scientists at the time?
- What force pushes upward on the continental crust?
- What were the problems with the theory of continental drift?
- What is one type of evidence that proves the theory of continental drift?
- Is Australia likely to collide with another continent in the next 20 million years?
- How are plate tectonics and continental drift similar?
- What is the theory of Pangaea?
- What scientist is credited with developing the continental drift theory?
- What happens when oceanic plates collide?
- How did Wegener explain the fact that ancient horse fossils showed up on different continents?