Continental DriftMonday, January 23, 2012
What planet is this?
What planet is this?
How do we know that the planet looked this way?
What is Continental Drift?
• The hypothesis that the continents were once together in a single landmass and later broke up and drifted to their present locations
• Proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912
Evidence to Support the Theory
What evidence supported Continental Drift?
1. Jigsaw Puzzle Fit:
Continents look like they could fit together like puzzle pieces
What evidence supported Continental Drift?
2. Fossils:
Matching plant and animal fossils were found on the coastlines of different continents
What evidence supported Continental Drift?
3. Rock Formations:
-Ages and types of rocks matched across oceans
-Mountain chains seemed to continue from one continent to another
What evidence supported Continental Drift?
4. Ancient Climates: -Tropical plant remains
(coal deposits) found in Antarctica (cold places)
-Evidence of glaciers in Africa, South America, India, and Australia (warm places)
Continental Drift Ms. GromJanuary 24, 2012
Earth Science
What is Continental Drift (CD)?
What evidence supports CD?
=The hypothesis that the continents were once together in a single landmass and later broke up and drifted to their present locations•Proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912
1. Jigsaw Puzzle Fit: Continents look like they could fit together like puzzle pieces
2. Fossils: Matching plant and animal fossils were found on the coastlines of different continents
3. Rock Formations: 1) Ages and types of rocks matched across oceans 2) Mountain chains seemed to continue from one continent to another
4. Ancient Climates: evidence of former tropical plant in cold places; evidence of glaciers in warm places
Problems With The Theory
• No mechanism for movement of continents
• Wind and currents could possibly move fossils
• Theory was not accepted by scientists
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