EVIDENCES

• What does the Continental Drift Theory propose?

  That continents were once connected as a large landmass called Pangaea.
• What is the significance of seafloor spreading in relation to the Continental Drift Theory?

  It demonstrates the evolution of the oceanic crust and supports the idea of continental drift.
• Who is credited with the origin of the Continental Drift Theory?

  Alfred Lothar Wegener.
• What does the term "Pangaea" mean?

  It means "All Earth" in Greek.
• How do the coastlines of South America and Africa support the Continental Drift Theory?

  They seem to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
• What are the evidences for Continental Drift?

  • Fossils
  • Rock samples
  • Climate
• What geological evidence supports the Continental Drift Theory?


  The matching of large-scale geological features on different continents.
• What does the fossil evidence suggest about the continents?

  That ancient organisms were once widespread across connected landmasses.
• What does the presence of coal deposits in Antarctica indicate?

  That Antarctica was once located in a warmer climate suitable for complex life forms.
• What climatic evidence supports the Continental Drift Theory?

  The existence of glaciers in areas that are now close to the equator.
• Why was Wegener's Continental Drift Theory initially rejected?

  He could not explain what caused the continents to move.
• What did Harry Hess contribute to the understanding of seafloor spreading?

  He discovered that the ocean floor was not smooth and had various features.
• What is seafloor spreading?

  A process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity.
• How does the rate of formation of new seafloor compare to the destruction of old seafloor?

  The rate of formation is not always as fast as the destruction at subduction zones.
• What did the dating of ocean-core samples in the 1960s reveal?

  That the ocean floor was younger at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and progressively older in either direction.
• What is bathymetry?


  The study of the "beds" or "floors" of water bodies, including the ocean.
• What is magnetic reversal?

  It is when Earth's magnetic field changes polarity, with each reversal lasting less than 200,000 years.
• How do rocks in the seafloor record magnetic polarity?

  Rocks take on the magnetic polarity of the Earth's magnetic field at the time they form.
• What pattern was observed in surveys of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?

  A symmetrical pattern of alternating polarity stripes was found.
• What happens to magma at spreading centers during magnetic reversal?

  Rising magma assumes the polarity of Earth's geomagnetic field before it solidifies into oceanic crust.
• How often does magnetic reversal occur on average over the last 10 million years?

  4 to 5 reversals per million years.
• What term did geologists agree to use by the 1970s for the movement of tectonic plates?

  Plate tectonics.
• How did Alfred Wegener's idea evolve with Harry Hess's findings?

  Wegener's idea of continental drift was developed and refined together with the seafloor spreading theory.
• What are the patterns of seafloor spreading in the three ocean basins?

  • Pacific Ocean: Youngest regions are red.
  • Arctic Ocean: Intermediate ages.
  • Atlantic Ocean: Oldest regions are blue.
• What is missing in the statement: The eastern border of South America and the Western part of Africa seem to fit together like a?

  Big jigsaw puzzle
• What fossil is found across South America and Africa, and is also a Triassic land reptile approx. 3m long?

  Cynogathus
• What fossil is found in the edges of South America and Africa and is also a freshwater reptile?

  Mesosaurus
• What Triassic reptile was found as a fossil across Africa, India and Antarctica?

  Lystrosaurus
• What fern fossil is found in all of the southern continents?

  Glossopteris
• What is the matching of large-scale geological features on different continents, considered to be geological "fit" evidence?

  Rock samples
• What was found and connected as the Central Pangean Mountains?

  Scottish Highlands and Appalachians
• What evidence was supported as climate?

  The existence of coal deposits in Antarctica
• What ridge was primarily researched by Harry Hess?

  Mid-Atlantic Ridge
• Year of Continental Drift Theory?

  1912