Continental drift has impacted the universe in many ways. With the development of modern science and physical proof that the Earths continents are moving, the evidence is overwhelming and it is hard to deny Wegners theory that the continents once formed a single land mass and drifted apart over a long period of geological time. Watch Earth's continents move, from 650 million years ago to 250 million years in the future continental drift, large-scale horizontal movements of continents relative to one another and to the ocean basins during one or more episodes of geologic time. THE CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY EVIDENCES AND EXAMPLES. The following piece of evidence represents matching geologic provinces in Africa and South America. What evidence did Alfred Wegener use for his hypothesis? These reptiles lived in freshwater bodies such as lakes and rivers. What is the five evidence of continental drift? coal found in cold regions, glacial evidence found in warm regions. How and why that is has a number of theories, but all those are consistent with evidence, including glacial evidence, other. Well, we do. The second theory was that the continents had been in contact with each other millions of years ago, and had somehow drifted apart. What does Pangaea mean in Greek? Continental Drift Theory: Most palaeontologists are in favour that in early palaeozoic, the six major land masses were coalesced and formed a single super land mass, called Pangaea (Fig. Around 66 million to 30 million years ago it is believed Laurasia fragmented into the continents in the northern hemisphere we know today. Evidence of Continental Drift. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 2. none of the above. If you look at the current map after the continents drifted away, you find that North America and Africa are far away from each other separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Updates? As the crust rises, gravity forces it away from the margin, driving the crust. The continents were once joined in a super-continent and have moved over time. In addition South America and Africa looked like they could fit together like puzzle pieces. The continents shapes fit well together and some continents have the same fossils. He explained how the continents moved Question 9 30 seconds Q. Pangaea has not been the only supercontinent on Earth. 1. Magnetism in rocks can also be used as evidence for the continental drift. Our writers will provide you with an essay sample written from scratch: any topic, any deadline, any instructions. space and science. What other evidence did Wegener need in order to convince scientists that his theory of continental drift was correct? It is much hotter than the lithosphere. All rights reserved The discovery of plate tectonics in the 1960s provided a possible mechanism for continental drift, and since then the study of continental drift . Should you have any questions regarding our This apparent fit is due to the fact the continents were once connected and have since moved apart in what has been called continental drift . Some of the evidence supporting the continental drift of the tectonic plates include the presence of similar animals and plant fossils on the shores of various continents, which suggest that they were once joined. He provided evidence that mountain ranges occurring on opposite continents matched up pretty well when brought together. This is called Ridge Push. The shores of Red Sea exhibits evidence of having undergone lateral displacement /Sea flow spreading To support his theory, Wegener pointed to matching rock formations and similar fossils in Brazil and West Africa. What evidence exists to support the existence of Pangea 3 points? Which two pieces of fossil evidence supports the idea of continental drift? . If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Gondwanaland contained all the masses in the southern hemisphere such as Africa, Antarctica, South America and Australia. According to National Geographic, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics indicate that the continents do move or shift, which supports continental drift theory. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. What other evidence did Wegener need in order to convince scientists that his theory of continental drift was correct quizlet? Aside from the congruency of continental shelf margins across the Atlantic, modern proponents of continental drift have amassed impressive geologic evidence to support their views. How is plate tectonics supported by the apparent fit of the continental coastline? Wegener's accumulated evidence could be most logically explained by continental drift. What evidence did Wegner use to support his theory of continental drift? There are positive and negatives in the geographies of Africa. By Staff Writer Last Updated March 29, 2020 According to National Geographic, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics indicate that the continents do move or shift, which supports continental drift theory. For example fossils of Mesosaurus a freshwater reptile have been found both in Brazil and western Africa. One type of evidence that strongly supported the Theory of Continental Drift is the fossil record. 4 What is evidence use to prove continental drift? Privacy Policy However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. So, his theory is proved by the fact that the freshwater reptiles could not swim across the ocean waters, hence, their distribution on every continent. He died of an alleged heart attacked when on an expedition to Greenland. Finding identical or similar fossils in areas separated by vast distances were some of the first clues that scientists used to reconstruct past plate movement. What are 4 pieces of evidence that support the theory of continental drift? Some 50 years later, Antonio Snider-Pellegrini, a French scientist, argued that the presence of identical fossil plants in both North American and European coal deposits could be explained if the two continents had formerly been connected, a relationship otherwise difficult to account for. Well, this claim was made in the 90s by Alfred Wegener, a German polar researcher, meteorologist and geophysicist who died in 1930. It does not store any personal data. They remained in this slow phase for about 40 million years. Evidence from fossils glaciers and complementary coastlines helps reveal how the plates once fit together. What Evidence Is There of the Continental Drift Theory? (askinglot.com)Collisional Plate boundaries diagram and explanation YouTubeEarthguide: Online Classroom Definition: Pangaea (ucsd.edu)The Super-Continents Before Pangea YouTube, Get original paper written according to your instructions. This perfect aligning of mountain ranges indicated that the continents were once together. 2. This essay wont pass a plagiarism check! Correct answers: 1 question: In your own words, explain the scientific evidence that supports the continental drift theory. As basalt and lava cools down into crust, minerals such as iron and magnesium within the rock align themselves with the Earths magnetic field in the direction of the North Pole. Impact craters have been found both on dry land and on the ocean floor. An example of this is the earliest known reptile, the mesosaurus. There are various examples of fossils found on separate continents and in no other regions. Fossils of identical organisms were found on several continents indicating the continents were once joined. Which piece of evidence would provide the strongest support for the hypothesis that Earths continents were once joined? Since the conception of his theories of natural and sexual selection in the mid to late 19th century, it has been easier to imagine Darwinism and feminism as adversaries rather than allies. In support of the continental drift theory, it was established that South Africa, India, Australia and South America all experienced glaciations at the same time. Another evidence that supports the theory of continental drift is Paeomagnetism. Forces behind the drifting of continents, according to Wegener Evidence in support of Continental Drift Drawbacks of Continental Drift Theory Tectonics During WW II, it was discovered that the ocean floor had some unique relief features like ridges, trenches, seamounts, shoals etc. The supercontinent was surrounded by water bodies, mainly oceans, and seas. The continents we see today are fragments of that supercontinent. Mountains are typically formed when two opposite land masses collide with each other triggering the rock found at the point of collision to fold or bulge upwards. The theory of continental drift was first proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. Temperature and pressure both increase with depth. In 1908 Frank B. Taylor of the United States invoked the notion of continental collision to explain the formation of some of the worlds mountain ranges. Late in the Triassic Period (which lasted from approximately 251 million to 199.6 million years ago), Pangea fragmented, and the parts began to move away from one another. They based their idea of continental drift on several lines of evidence: fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Evidence for Continental Drift. Where the plates collide they form fold mountains e.g. Why do you think Buddhisms ideas about ending suffering might have appealed to the ancient Chinese? In the 1900's, Alfred Wegener presented an argument supporting continental drift. Whilst the theory that the continents had moved over time had been speculated upon before, the theory wasnt properly developed until 1912. Was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico. As we travel further from the mid Atlantic ridge we can see the alignment changing which proves the continents have been moving away from each other. 116 Which type of evidence was NOT used by Alfred Wegener to support his continental drift hypothesis? Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/evidence-in-support-of-the-continental-drift-analytical-essay/. what two pieces of evidence did wegener discover that supported the idea of Pangaea? Fair Use Policy or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via support@edubirdie.com. Embryos of four different species. What fossil evidence supports the belief that all of these continents were once joined and known as Pangea? The central dogma of biology. If these continents were once united around the south polar region, this glaciation would become explicable as a unified sequence of events in time and space. The four pieces of evidence for the continental drift include continents fitting together like a puzzle scattering ancient fossils rocks mountain ranges and the old climatic zones locations. (Yes. Rocks of Same Age Across the Oceans: radiometric dating methods have correlated the rock formation in different continents. What are the 4 pieces of evidence that support plate tectonics? The hypothesis addresses how the continents and oceans are distributed. Alfred Wegener is credited with developing the continental drift hypothesis. Fossils of plants and animals Distinctive rock layers and mountain ranges Glacial scratches on rocks Volcanic activity along the Ring of Fire 2 See answers Advertisement AndrewCarol Studies by Runcorn of the remanent magnetism in suitable rocks of different ages from Europe produced a polar wandering curve indicating that the magnetic poles were in different places at different times. What was probably the first evidence that led some to suspect the continents were once connected? The earths outer shell is composed of plates that move a little bit every year. The Theory of Continental Drift was proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. Copy the question and answer. . Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 2023 EduBirdie.com. Another piece of evidence is that fossils of plants, animals and invertebrates have been found on separate continents. If you take a look at the map before the continents drifted away, you find that Mesosaurus is located in the southern parts of Africa and North America. So, technically, the creature would not have traveled through the ocean to get to the next continent. Evidence was not used by Alfred Wegener is credited with developing the continental drift proposed! 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what evidence supports the theory of continental drift