Continental drift! Flashcards
Who discovered and when was continental drift discovered?
In 1912, German scientist Alfred Wegener suggested the idea of continental drift.
What is continental drift?
Continental drift is the idea that millions of years ago, all the land was one large continent, and over millions of years the land broke up and drifted apart.
What was the evidence that Alfred Wegener had for continental drift?
The shapes of the continents fit together, the types of rocks on the different continents match up where they fit together and the fossils on the different continents match up where they fit together.
Why did some people not believe Wegener’s idea?
Alfred Wegener could not explain how continental drift happened, so not everyone believed his ideas.
What is the earth’s crust made up of?
The Earth’s crust is made up of large tectonic plates.
What are tectonic plates?
Tectonic plates are separate parts of the Earth’s crust, made of large slabs of rock; that move on the mantle.
What are plates under the ocean called?
Oceanic plates
What are plates that form the continents called?
Continental plates.
How does continental drift occur?
Tectonic plates move on liquid rock called magma beneath them. This is how continental drift occurs
In the 1960’s, what theory was developed that proved and explained Alfred Wegener’s idea of continental drift?
In the 1960’s the tectonic plate theory explained that continental drift occurs when tectonic plates move on liquid rock called magma beneath them, proving and explaining Alfred Wegener’s idea of continental drift.
About how much do the plates move each year?
The plates move only about 4 cm each year, which is about the same speed that your fingernails grow.
What plates surround the Indian plate?
Eurasian plate, Arabian plate, African Plate, and Indo-Australian plate.
