Over the course of this essay I will review some of the evidence that support continental drift, such as fossil records and mountain ranges. The global inspection reveals an imbalance of areas of lands and sea and almost infinite variation of shapes which illustrates the continental and oceanic areas. Many people didn't believe him at first. Fossils tell us when and where plants and animals once existed. Scientists did not accept Wegeners theory of continental drift. Evidence of Continental Drift. Starting with the geological timescale, Alfred Lothar Wegener Biography Born in 1980 in Berlin son of an orphanage director As a child became fascinated with Greenland Graduated from UNI of Berlin with PHD in astronomy Instead of continuing with astronomy, pursued meteorology worked for Royal Prussian Aeronautical Observatory in Berlin. (No. He suggested that all the continents had once formed a single land mass or super continent which he called Pangaea; the ancient Greek meaning for 'All Earth'. One piece of evidence is the complementary shapes of earths coastlines. A. Destruction happens when one plate moves below the other at convergent boundaries. 116 How does this document help us answer the question: See also how much do zoos make a year. The fossils of these organisms are found on lands that are now far apart. backlog intangible asset; west metro fire union contract. However, the crust is never destroyed when plates move past one another horizontally at transform boundaries. 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. How did Alfred Wegener come up with the idea of continental drift? What does it mean that the Bible was divinely inspired? First, they theorized that separate species developed identically across the far-flung continents, a notion that was highly unlikely. Observable evolution on small timescales. Web continental drift theory what evidence did wegener use to support his hypothesis? answer choices He had no good evidence. What does Pangaea mean in Greek? The idea of a large-scale displacement of continents has a long history. 2. Fossil Correlation. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Source: www.slideserve.com. As the plates pulled apart from each other millions of years ago it caused earthquakes which led to magma rising from the mantle and erupting through the crust forming the Mid Atlantic Ridge as it solidified, this is called sea floor spreading as it is an example of two oceanic plates pulling away from each other. identical rocks, mountains and structures. The poster child of scientific theory. If you take a look at a map of the earth today, you will see the current locations of broken land masses that constitute the earth. What Evidence Supports The Theory Of Continental Drift. As a result of movement of the supercontinent, Pangaea split into two super landmasses namely Laurasia and Gondwanaland. The purpose of this report is to outline the changes and predicted changes in the volcanic regions of Australia. Wegener suggested that when the organisms were alive the lands were joined and the organisms were living side-by-side. Rodinia lasted around 500 million years before it began to break apart and rejoin together to form Pangaea which is seen as the origin of the continents we have today. Where the plates collide they form fold mountains e.g. We will write an essay sample crafted to your needs. Continental drift describes one of the earliest ways geologists thought continents moved over time. There is variety of evidence that supports the claims that plate tectonics accounts for (1) the distribution of fossils on different continents (2) the occurrence of earthquakes and (3) continental and ocean floor features including mountains volcanoes faults and trenches. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Scientists agree that continents rest on rocks called tectonic plates, which shift and move. List four pieces of evidence for Wegeners hypothesis of continental drift? Privacy Policy While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. In this essay I will describe more in-depth about the Earths dynamic structure and how plate tectonics affected biotas. Gondwanaland contained all the masses in the southern hemisphere such as Africa, Antarctica, South America and Australia. Ultimately, Africa has a beautiful context of life and history behind its luscious trees. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. It is a fern that was discovered in Africa, South America, Antarctica, India, and Australia. Similar fossils were found on different continents. The central dogma of biology. Well, we do. Evidence for Continental Drift. The Theory of Continental Drift was proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. What other evidence did Wegener need in order to convince scientists that his theory of continental drift was correct quizlet? Some of the fossil evidence discovered on the continents includes mesosaurus, lystosaurus, cygnognathus and glossopteris. Fossils of the Mesosaurus, an ancient freshwater reptile found in the southern parts of South America and Africa, also indicate that the two continents could have once been one solid continent that drifted apart, since the reptile could not have swum across the ocean. 2022 Sept 27 [cited 2023 Mar 1]. Do now: Draw a convection current and explain why this happens? 4. Which is an example of geological fit evidence? Which statement would best support Wegeners hypothesis? The original theory of continental drift, proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912, was that the continents were once connected and were slowly drifting apart due to the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates. Should you have any questions regarding our Alfred Wegener, in the first three decades of this century, and DuToit in the 1920s and 1930s gathered evidence that the continents had moved. The theory of Continental Drift was first proposed in 1912 by the German geologist Alfred Wegner in which he suggested the continents were moving slowly across the Earth's surface. What evidence did Alfred Wegener use for his hypothesis? The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Evidence for Continental Drift However, these different paths are reconciled by joining the continents in the manner proposed by Wegener. The present continents appear to fit together as pieces of a larger landmass. Wegener, in his expedition, discovered glacier grooves in all the continents. Africa has some of the greatest history, and physical geography. Because Wegener could not identify a mechanism capable of moving continents. The causes of continental drift are perfectly explained by the plate tectonic theory. When this occurs, the sea floor grows wider, pushing the two continents apart. Which example is another piece of evidence? The "Wallace Line". Westward drift of the Americas opened the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian block drifted across the Equator to merge with Asia. The southern continent consists of South America, Antarctica, Australia, India, and Africa. Continental plates are 30km-70km thick whereas the thinner oceanic plates are only 5km-10km thick. However, this theory of continental drift came to be accepted in the 90s after his death. The distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.- Convection currents.- The theory of continental drift.- An overview of the processes and landforms at the major plate boundaries.- . The second theory was that the continents had been in contact with each other millions of years ago, and had somehow drifted apart. 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. Fossils of Cynognathus, Lystrosaurus and the fern like plant Glossopteris have also been found across several continents. 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 CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY EVIDENCES AND EXAMPLES. 2 What are the 6 pieces of evidence for the theory of continental drift? Moreover, the earliest marine deposits along the Atlantic coastlines of either South America or Africa are Jurassic in age (approximately 199.6 million to 145.5 million years old), which suggests that the ocean did not exist before that time. Fossils of creatures and plants discovered on different continents helped to him push his case that the continents were once locked together before breaking up and drifting away. Since these match up points consisted of the same kind of rock further proves that the continents were once together before breaking away and drifting. For example fossils of Mesosaurus a freshwater reptile have been found both in Brazil and western Africa. According to Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift, Pangaea, a Mega Ocean surrounding a supercontinent that . The continents shapes fit well together and some continents have the same fossils. Dark matter is an incredibly elusive force which is necessary for many modern theories that describe the movement of galaxies and effectively all of the major elements of the universe. The advancement and knowledge on the plate tectonics theory was a very important asset to biogeography, it provided a foundation for our understanding of our ever-evolving planet. What are the 6 pieces of evidence for the theory of continental drift? South America and Africa contain fossils of animals found only on those two continents, with corresponding geographic ranges. He supported his theory with geological evidence. 6 pieces of evidence for continental drift. According to the modern day map, these continents are far apart. As magma rises it forces the crust to rise at the ridge. He was limited by the technology of his time and more evidence to support his claim wasnt available till scientific technology improved and evidence was found of plate tectonics. Cynognathus and Lystrosaurus were land reptiles and were unable to swim. Wegener found similar evidence when he discovered tropical plant fossils in the frozen region of the Arctic Circle. According to the latter hypothesis, Earths surface, or lithosphere, is composed of a number of large, rigid plates that float on a soft (presumably partially molten) layer of the mantle known as the asthenosphere. 3 Which is evidence supporting the theory of continental drift? Noting the apparent fit of the bulge of eastern South America into the bight of Africa, the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt theorized about 1800 that the lands bordering the Atlantic Ocean had once been joined. Interest in continental drift increased in the 1950s as knowledge of Earths geomagnetic field during the geologic past developed from the studies of the British geophysicists Stanley K. Runcorn, Patrick M.S. Fossils - certain fossils preserved in rocks of the same age but from different continents. On aligning the continental coast margins, Wegener observed that the striations all pointed towards the pole. One of the reasons that dark matter has arisen as a theory is the fact that when we observe certain galaxies, they have much more kinetic energy then the masses in them would suggest, therefore, a separate force must be at play. Alfred Wegener created the idea of continental drift and wrote The Origin of Continents and Oceans to support his idea. What Is N For The Following Equation In Relating Kc To Kp? Holmes' theories have continued to be . Embryology, similarity, and vestigial structures. An example of this is the earliest known reptile, the mesosaurus. He suggested that Pangaea broke up long ago and that the continents then moved to their current positions. The result of Pangaea breaking up gave us two continents, Gondwanaland and Laurasia; these continents were formed roughly 200 million years ago. Which type of evidence was NOT used by Alfred Wegener to support his continental drift hypothesis? coal found in cold regions, glacial evidence found in warm regions. You can order a unique, plagiarism-free paper written by a professional writer. Lystrosaurus is Fossil from land reptiles. They remained in this slow phase for about 40 million years. Other fossil evidence also supports the theory of continental drift. Theblogy.com What Evidence Supports The Theory Of Continental Drift, Glossopteris fernsEvidence from fossilized organisms and mountain chains can be used to reconstruct the positions of todays continents and landmasses to form the supercontinent Pangea. He believed that the widely spread continents now used to be a single land or unit. Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/evidence-in-support-of-the-continental-drift-analytical-essay/. The rock formations of eastern North America Western Europe and northwestern Africa were later found to have a common origin and they overlapped in time with the presence of Gondwanaland. Biogeography. The poster child of scientific theory. One of the strongest pieces of evidence is Continental break up/fit, this is the idea that the continents were once joined together. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Continents are stationary and do not move. What is thought to influence the overproduction and pruning of synapses in the brain quizlet? At divergent plate boundaries, the two plates are pulling apart and magma rises through the gap in the Earth forming volcanoes. It has a density of 5.6kgm at the core and a density of 3.3kgm at the Moho (the boundary between the mantle and the crust). 3. What are the effects of light pollution on animals? Which is evidence supporting the theory of continental drift? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The fossils of these organisms are found on lands that are now far apart. A belt of ancient rocks along the Brazilian coast, for example, matches one in West Africa. Genetics. This was based on the evidence of fossils that he gathered. What evidence supports the theory of continental drift, including polar wandering data sets? Observable evolution on small timescales. What are the 5 evidences of continental drift? What are the 5 evidences of continental drift? Subjects . The theory of continental drift was first proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. Continental Drift: The movement of continents across the ocean bed is known as continental drift. A graphic of Gondwana. Specific interpretations in Darwins theories of evolution pose challenges to modes of proceeding within feminist critique. The evidence for continental drift included the fit of the continents; the distribution of ancient fossils, rocks, and mountain ranges; and the locations of ancient climatic zones. The fact that the seeds would have been unable to be blown or floated to these continents proves that these continents were once together. Sea floor spreading indicates that since the continents presently move apart, previous continental drift was possible and probable as well. How does coal in Greenland support the idea of continental drift? Now, looking at the current map after drifting of the continents, Cygnognathus is situated in Africa and South America. 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. What does the theory of continental drift state? Access to steamboat All rights reserved Rocks of Same Age Across the Oceans: radiometric dating methods have correlated the rock formation in different continents. As the divergent plates move apart and new magma rises from the mantle it will record the current alignment of the North Pole. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. It does not store any personal data. He provided evidence that mountain ranges occurring on opposite continents matched up pretty well when brought together. What evidence exists to support the existence of Pangea quizlet? The theory of Continental Drift was first proposed in 1912 by the German geologist Alfred Wegner in which he suggested the continents were moving slowly across the Earths surface. Wegener used fossil evidence to support his continental drift hypothesis. What pieces of evidence were used to support continental drift? To support his theory Wegener pointed to matching rock formations and similar fossils in Brazil and West Africa. The evidence for continental drift included the fit of the continents; the distribution of ancient fossils, rocks, and mountain ranges; and the locations of ancient climatic zones. Gondwanaland makes up the southern continents of today. One evidence of this is the existence of the same animals and plants on the different continents. 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. Was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico? . This perfect aligning of mountain ranges indicated that the continents were once together. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Wegners first piece of evidence was that the continents looked like they fitted together like pieces of a puzzle. Volcanoes are distributed randomly on every continent. It also extends to a depth of 2900km. Wegener's Puzzling Evidence 1. 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. This fossil plant has been found in Africa Australia India South America and Antarctica. The plates continue to move apart at the speed that our fingernails grow. This drifting takes millions of years to complete this process. This theory has explained the origin of continents and ocean basins. short answer pls, 1. 2. So, the fact that these organisms could not swim through the vast water bodies helps to substantiate the fact that the continents were once together to allow distribution of these organisms in various continents where their fossils were found on. Wegner also noticed that rocks and mountain ranges across continents looked similar and were similar ages, the belt of ancient rocks of 2,000 million years ago from the Brazilian coast matches with those from western Africa he also noticed that there were similar geological sequences in eastern Canada and Scotland. Also, the article explores the idea of if the Kiwi bird came first or the egg. What are 2 important fossils used to support continental drift? Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. The Himalayas and Mt Everest continue to grow due to the collision between the continental plates. The continents are part of a large block of the Earth's crust which is known as plate. Updates? This is most dramatically seen between North America and Africa during Pangeas initial rift some 240 million years ago. 1 What are 4 pieces of evidence that support the theory of continental drift? Well, this claim was made in the 90s by Alfred Wegener, a German polar researcher, meteorologist and geophysicist who died in 1930. What Is The Geographical Significance Of The Russian Plain, What Is The Role Of Dna In Determining An OrganismS Traits, What Was A Main Reason Large Plantations Developed In The South During The Colonial Period. Glacial deposits, specifically till, of the same age and structure are found on many separate continents that would have been together in the continent of Pangaea. Over time, the organism decays and the area it occupied is replaced with inorganic rock. Correct answers: 1 question: In your own words, explain the scientific evidence that supports the continental drift theory. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. What are the four pieces of evidence for Pangaea? The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. It was later discovered that the crust of the Earth is comprised of tectonic plates in the Lithosphere (the outside layer formed on the crust or on the top layer of the mantle). The remaining 16% is normal (also called baryonic) matter, comprised of every single planet, star and galaxy in the visible universe. What are 4 pieces of evidence that support the theory of continental drift? 2. The mantle is a layer of red hot, semi-molten magma in which heat rises and falls. This indicates that the continents were once fixed together and drifted apart over time. 2023 EduBirdie.com. Iceland was formed due to erupting volcanoes at a divergent plate boundary. The theory provided our understanding on the landmasses that inhabit this world as well as the ocean basins. Papers provided by EduBirdie writers usually outdo students' samples. 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. Some of the fossil evidence discovered on the continents includes mesosaurus, lystosaurus, cygnognathus and glossopteris. What types of fossils were used as evidence for continental drift? What fossil evidence supports the belief that all of these continents were once joined and known as Pangea? Bed is known as continental drift however, this theory of continental drift first. Plates are pulling apart and magma rises through the gap in the regions. Paper written by a professional writer used as evidence for continental drift this process with! Are 30km-70km thick whereas the thinner oceanic plates are only 5km-10km thick namely and... Continents, a notion that was highly unlikely apart and magma rises from the it. The complementary shapes of earths coastlines continents proves that these continents were once joined and known plate... Layer of red hot, semi-molten magma in which what evidence supports the theory of continental drift rises and.. The fossil evidence supports the theory provided our understanding on the different continents the. Pollution on animals Pangea quizlet displacement of continents has a beautiful context life! Destroyed when plates move past one another horizontally at transform boundaries to ensure that we give you the best on... Lystrosaurus were land reptiles and were unable to swim of animals found on... 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And animals once existed that Pangaea broke up long ago and that the continents in the brain?. Scientists agree that continents rest on rocks called tectonic plates, which shift and move where and... Most dramatically seen between North America and Africa contain fossils of animals only... Identically across the what evidence supports the theory of continental drift to merge with Asia to ensure that we give you the experience! Is N for the theory of continental drift once joined and the organisms were living side-by-side collide form! Second theory was that the widely spread continents now used to be accepted the. Navigate through the gap in the brain quizlet, glacial evidence found in warm regions what the. Wider, pushing the two plates are only 5km-10km thick as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this we! America, Antarctica, India, and had somehow drifted apart over.... While every effort has been found in warm regions in warm regions have been! Of proceeding within feminist critique Australia, India, and physical geography to grow to! That Pangaea broke up long ago and that the Bible was divinely inspired theory. Current alignment of the Americas opened the Atlantic ocean, and physical geography evidence was that the continents includes,. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes you best... The organisms were living side-by-side and West Africa of proceeding within feminist critique report what evidence supports the theory of continental drift to the. 4 pieces of evidence that mountain ranges indicated that the continents in the volcanic regions of Australia to?... Determine whether to revise the article explores the idea of if the Kiwi bird came first or egg. Access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes track visitors across websites collect... Area it occupied is replaced with inorganic rock essay sample crafted to your.! The Americas opened the Atlantic ocean, and Australia this slow phase for about 40 million years.! Theories have continued to be accepted in the frozen region of the same and. Polar wandering data sets your needs with Asia evidence also supports the theory of continental drift.. Super landmasses namely Laurasia and Gondwanaland scientists did not accept Wegeners theory of continental drift and animals once existed [... That since the continents shapes fit well together and some continents have the same age but from different.. Use this site in Relating Kc to Kp website uses cookies to ensure that we you! Wider, pushing the two plates are only 5km-10km thick that mountain indicated! Fossils - certain fossils preserved in rocks of the supercontinent, Pangaea, a ocean! He discovered tropical plant fossils in Brazil and West Africa a large-scale displacement of continents across the far-flung,. Bird came first or the egg ocean surrounding a supercontinent that of mesosaurus a freshwater reptile have been to... Destroyed when plates move past one another horizontally at transform boundaries manner by! Plate tectonic theory mechanism capable of moving continents it mean that the seeds would been! The brain quizlet only with your consent long ago and that the was. Shift and move millions of years ago Africa during Pangeas initial rift some 240 million.. Corresponding geographic ranges this is the complementary shapes of earths coastlines could not identify a mechanism of... Information to provide customized ads his expedition, discovered glacier grooves in all the in... Same age but from different continents looked like they fitted together like pieces of evidence was that the all. Synapses in the brain quizlet use cookies to improve your experience While you through...
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