Plate Tectonics

In 1912, geophysicist and a German

Evidences of Continental Drift Theory
meteorologist Alfred Wegener (1880-1930)
developed the Continental Drift Theory that
1. The apparent fit of the continents
explains how continents shift position on
 The coastlines of the continents appear
Earth's surface. Continental drift is the gradual
to fit together like the pieces of puzzle.
movement of the continents over time. The
 The apparent fit is even better when
upper layer of the crust are broken down plates,
submerged coastlines are examined. In
which sit on a molten rock. The
this diagram, significant overlap of the
movement of this lower molten layer, called
coastlines occurs only in the shaded
plate tectonics, causes the plates to shift.
areas because underwater sediments
are extensively deposited.
Wegener theorized that all the continents were
once interconnected from a
supergiant land mass, which he called Pangaea.
According to the hypothesis, Pangaea
broke apart and each land mass drifted away
from each other in different locations. At
some point between 275 and 175 million years
ago, Pangaea began to separate. Initially,
two giant continents were formed: “Laurasia”
which comprised the northern continents of
today’s times and “Gondwanaland” which
comprised the continents in the present
southern hemisphere. The slow process of
2. Fossil Correlation
fragmentation and drifting continued until the
 Identical fossils have been found in the
continents eventually reached their current
rocks found on coastlines of the ocean.
position. The continents are not at rest, they
are always moving and over time will move and
drift into entirely new continents over the
next hundred years.

Wegener aligned his theory with references

from past authors with similar ideas
like those of Eduard Suess (1831-1914) who is
better known to have proposed the
existence of Tethys Sea, the only recognized
body of water during those ancient time, as
he recognized the existence of Gondwanaland.
3. Rock and Mountain Correlation
 Identical rocks and mountain structures
have been found.
4. Paleoclimate Data/Past Climate Data
 Coal and compacted sediments of
tropical plants have been found in cold
regions and glacial evidences (Glacial
Striations/ Scratches) have been found
in warm regions.
Seafloor Spreading Model
Scientists estimated that the continents move
anywhere from one centimeter to several
inches per year. If the appearance of the Earth
is drastically changing over time, are there any
changes in the overall volume and size of the
Earth?
Seafloor spreading is a continuous process
where tensional forces on both sides of the
plates caused them to constantly move apart.
Magma rises to the surface from the mantle. In
time, the magma is cooled by seawater and
forms the oceanic crust. New rocks then form in
this area. Since the newer rocks are younger in
geologic features, scientists are able to
determine areas of seafloor spreading because
of the types and compositions of new rocks on
those areas. Rocks from the separated plates
would have similar rock types and compositions
usually of sedimentary type while the area at
the center have mostly igneous type.
Usually, seafloor spreading happens along mid
ocean ridges. Elsewhere, trenches are formed
where one plates slides beneath another
because the older seafloor rock eventually
descends into trenches and is removed.
Therefore, there is no change in the overall
volume and size of Earth. If the crust is
expanding along the oceanic ridges, it must be
shrinking somewhere else.
The concept of seafloor spreading was
developed by geologists Harold Hess (1895-
1982) and Robert Dietz (1914-1995). They
coined the term “seafloor spreading” and
showed how it aligned with the unaccepted
ideas of continental drift.