A seismograph, or seismometer, is an instrument used to detect and record earthquakes.

Generally, it consists of a mass attached to a fixed base. During an earthquake, the base moves
and the mass does not.

FOSSIL AND MOUNTAIN CHAIN

EVIDENCE

Evidence
Alfred Wegener collected diverse pieces of evidence to support his theory, including geological “fit” and fossil
evidence. It is important to know that the following specific fossil evidence was not brought up by Wegener
to support his theory. Wegener himself did not collect the fossils but he called attention to the idea of using
these scientific doc uments stating there were fossils of species present in separate continents in order to
support his claim.

Illustration showing similar rock assemblages across different continents.

Geological “fit” evidence is the matching of large-scale geological features on different continents. It has been
noted that the coastlines of South America and West Africa seem to match up, however more particularly the
terrains of separate continents conform as well. Examples include: the Appalachian Mountains of eastern
North America linked with the Scottish Highlands, the familiar rock strata of the Karroo system of South
Africa matched correctly with the Santa Catarina system in Brazil, and the Brazil and Ghana mountain ranges agreeing
over the Atlantic Ocean.

Another important piece of evidence in the Continental Drift theory is the fossil relevance. There are various examples
of fossils found on separate continents and in no other regions. This indicates that these continents had to be once
joined together because the extensive oceans between these land masses act as a type of barrier for fossil transfer.
Four fossil examples include: the Mesosaurus, Cynognathus, Lystrosaurus, and Glossopteris.
THEORY OF CONTINENTAL DRIFT: What does it say? That the continents of the world all started
together in a single landmass, AND have since drifted apart. SUPERCONTINENT: What was the
name of this supercontinent? PANGEA TYPE OF EVIDENCE EXAMPLES OF EVIDENCE 1. FOSSILS
Fossils of the same animals were found on many different continents, now separated by oceans: 
Glossopteris = plant  Cynognathus = land reptile  Lystrosaurus = land reptile  Mesosaurus =
freshwater reptile These organisms had no way to travel across such oceans that exist today! 2.
LANDFORMS Shapes of the Continents – They appeared to ‘fit’  South America and Africa Coal
Fields –  In North America and Europe match up when pieced together (also ‘fit’ as well)
Mountains and Rock Layers –  In North America and Europe match up when the continents are
pieced together (similar rocks) 3. CLIMATE Tropical Plants  Found in areas that are considered
Arctic (frozen) today. Glaciers  Evidence of glaciers found in areas that have temperatures far too
mild to have glaciers. Evidence shows that climate must have been much different in the past.

Panthalassa

Panthalassa, also known as the Panthalassic Ocean, was the vast global
ancestral Pacific ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea,
during the late Paleozoic and the early Mesozoic eras. It included the
Pacific Ocean to the west and north and the Tethys Ocean to the
southeast. It became the Pacific Ocean, following the closing of the
Tethys basin and the breakup of Pangaea, which created the Atlantic,
Arctic, and Indian Ocean basins. The Panthalassic is often called the
Paleo-Pacific because the Pacific Ocean developed from it in the
Mesozoic to the present. In the map on the right, the Earth's equator
was a line that roughly crossed the spot where Spain, Casablanca and
Boston met.

Although Laurasia is known as a Mesozoic phenomenon, today it is believed that the same
continents that formed the later Laurasia also existed as a coherent supercontinent after the
breakup of Rodinia around 750 million years ago. To avoid confusion with the Mesozoic
continent, this is referred to as Proto-Laurasia. It is believed that Laurasia did not break up
again before it recombined with the southern continents to form the
late Precambrian supercontinent of Pannotia, which remained until the early Cambrian.
Laurasia was assembled, then broken up, due to the actions of plate tectonics, continental drift,
and seafloor spreading.

GONDWANA LAURASIA
SOUTH AMERICA NORTH AMERICA

AFRICA GREEN LAND

INDIA EUROPE

AUSTRALIA ASIA
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Continental drift was a revolutionary scientific theory developed in the years 1908-1912 by Alfred Wegener (1880-1930),
a German meteorologist, climatologist, and geophysicist, that put forth the hypothesis that the continents had all
originally been a part of one enormous landmass or supercontinent about 240 million years ago before breaking apart
and drifting to their current locations. Based on the work of previous scientists who had theorized about horizontal
movement of the continents over the Earth's surface during different periods of geologic time, and based on his own
observations drawing from different fields of science, Wegener postulated that about 200 million years ago, a
supercontinent that he called Pangaea (which means "all lands" in Greek) began to break up. Over millions of years the
pieces separated, first into two smaller supercontinents, Laurasia and Gondwanaland, during the Jurassic period and then
by the end of the Cretaceous period into the continents we know today.

Wegener first presented his ideas in 1912 and then published them in 1915 in his controversial book, "The Origins of
Continents and Oceans," which was received with great skepticism and even hostility. He revised and published
subsequent editions of his book in 1920,1922, and 1929. The book (Dover translation of the 1929 fourth German edition)
is still available today on Amazon and elsewhere.

Wegener's theory, although not completely correct, and by his own admission, incomplete, sought to explain why similar
species of animals and plants, fossil remains, and rock formations exist on disparate lands separated by great distances of
sea. It was an important and influential step that ultimately led to the development of the theory of plate tectonics, which
is how scientists understand the structure, history, and dynamics of the Earth’s crust.

1. EDGE OF THE CONTINENTS/COASTLINE

2. THE FOSSIL PATTERN
3. MOUNTAIN ROCKS FORMATION

COAL DEPOSIT(ANTARTICA,NORTH POAL)