Chapter 1.

2:
EVIDENCES OF
PLATE MOVEMENT
 More scientists became skeptical
of continental drift theory, they
argued that:
▪ oceanic crust was too firm for
continents to simply shift.

▪ The theory ignored the plasticity

of rock at depth, as well as at
high temperatures and
pressure.

Alfred Wegener
 Following the discovery magnetic
reversals in 1930, Wegener’s theory
was accepted and became the
foundation for plate tectonics
theory.

Alfred Wegener
The following pieces of evidence were cited by
Wegener and other proponents of the continental
drift theory.

1 Paleontological Evidence

2 Evidence from Glaciation

Evidence from Structure and

3 Type of Rock

4 Evidence from Paleoclimates

EVIDENCES OF PLATE MOVEMENT
Paleontological
1 Evidence

Certain fossils found on both

sides of the Atlantic have a
striking similarity that is difficult
to explain if the continents
were not once connected as
one.
EVIDENCES OF
PLATE MOVEMENT
1 Paleontological Evidences
Lystrosaurus and Cynognathus, two
land-dwelling reptiles that lived during
the Triassic Period, and their fossils have
been discovered on various continents.
 A French scientist used identical
plant fossils discovered in coal beds
of Europe and the United States to
support his theory that all continents
were once connected during the
Pennsylvanian Period (314 -280)

Antonio Snider
Pellegrini
 Describe how plants in Late Paleozoic coal beds
in India, Australia, South Africa, and South
America were all similar.

Eduard Suess

Supporters explained
that because the fossils
of the seed fern
Glossopteris are too
large to be dispersed
across the ocean by
winds, their distribution
can only be explained
by continental drift.
EVIDENCES FOR
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
2 Evidence from Glaciation
Another piece of evidence was the
glacial till deposits in the southern
hemisphere. The present positions of
the continents and the till deposits
indicate erratic glacier motion but
when they were fitted together like a
jigsaw puzzle, continents reveal a
much more streamlined motion of the
glacier from Southern Africa and
Northern Australia outward.
EVIDENCES FOR
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
2 Evidence from Glaciation
This hypothesis gained credibility
when scientists discovered great coal
deposits in Antarctica that could
prove that fauna and flora have
abundantly dominated the now iced
part of the planet.
EVIDENCES FOR CONTINENTAL DRIFT
3 Evidence from Structure and Rocks
Geographers noticed the following:
▪ coastlines of several modern
continents, particularly Africa and
South America, would perfectly fit
together.
▪ presence of various geologic features
that abruptly end at one continent's
coast and appear on the continents
across the Atlantic.
EVIDENCES FROM ROCK
STRUCTURE AND FORMATIONS
▪ folded mountains of South Africa,
which appear to be a continuation
of the range north of Buenos Aires,
Argentina, are a good example of
this
▪ The Rift Valleys of Africa are also
good evidence for the breakup of
Pangaea.
▪ Saudi Arabia, located at the
Arabian Plate, has drifted from the
African Plate forming a valley that
has been flooded by the Red Sea.
EVIDENCES FROM ROCK
STRUCTURE AND FORMATIONS

▪ The two plates meet in a "triple

junction" where the Red Sea meets
the Gulf of Aden forming the Afar
Triangle.
▪ A new spreading center appears to
be developing along the East African
Rift Valley, a movement that possibly
depicts the drifting of continents
some million years ago.
EVIDENCES FOR
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Evidence from
4 Paleoclimates
Paleoclimatology is the study of the
extended climatic conditions of
past geologic conditions. Wegener
reconstructed old climatic zones
using the distribution of specific rock
types to determine the distribution
of climates in ancient times to
demonstrate the apparent shifting
of climatic belts over time.
EVIDENCES FOR
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Evidence from
4 Paleoclimates
For example, glacial till and
striations indicate polar climate
near the North and South Poles,
respectively, whereas dunes and
coral reefs represent desert and
tropical climates.
EVIDENCES FOR
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Evidence from
4 Paleoclimates
Scientists have also discovered
massive coal deposits in
Antarctica, which could
demonstrate that fauna and flora
once dominated the now ice-
covered region of the planet.
EVIDENCES FOR
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Evidence from Mountain
5 Ranges
The rock types, rock ages, and
rock structures on the mountain
ranges of the opposite side of
Atlantic ocean are matched.
SIMILAR ROCK TYPES AND
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
The correlation of the Appalachian
Mountains rocks and structures with
mountains of similar age and
structure in eastern Greenland, the
British Isles, and Norway.
THE END…
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