Continental Drift

Question 1

Who developed the theory of continental drift?

Answer 1

Alfred Wegner, published book ( origin of continents and oceans in 1912

Question 2

What causes continents to drift?

Answer 2

Pangea broke apart due to convection currents in the mantle.

Question 3

What evidence supports the theory of continental?

Answer 3

Observation - continents fit together
Fossil Correlation - fossils of animals can be found both on the eastern side of South America and western side of Africa. It would be almost impossible for animals like the mesosaurus to swim across.
Rock and mountain correlation- mountains like the Rockies and the alps have similar types of rock and age despite being far apart.
Paleoclimate data - extensive coal deposits were found in Asia and Europe which could have only developed in hot tropical climates.

Question 4

Convection currents

Answer 4

Superheated mama rises to the top and cools the sinks and continued its cycle.

Question 5

Pangea

Answer 5

All the continents combines into a supercontinent 250 million years ago.

Question 6

Laurasia

Answer 6

North America, Europe and Asia

Question 7

Gondwanaland

Answer 7

Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia

Question 8

Arthur Holmes

Answer 8

He made the theory of convection currents causing continental drift.

Question 9

Plate tectonics

Answer 9

The study of the movement of plates

Question 10

Types of boundaries

Answer 10

Divergent
Convergent
Transform

Question 11

Tectonic plates ?

Answer 11

Slabs of crust that floats on the mantle

Question 12

Types of plate movement

Answer 12

Diverge ( move away)
Converge ( move together)
Transform ( pass each other)

Question 13

Destructive plate boundaries

Answer 13

A convergent boundary
Oceanic crust is destroyed by the heat in the mantle.
Denser oceanic crust is forced into the subduction zone.
Continental crust can not be destroyed so is forced up to make fold mountains.
When oceanic crust melts it helps form volcanoes.
Where oceanic crust a inducts a deep ocean trench is formed.
Huge earthquakes are found here
Found at sea and helps form island arcs.

Question 14

Constructive

Answer 14

2 oceanic crust moving apart
Found under the ocean and causes the process of seafood spreading
Allows magma to escape and then forms new land creating a ocean ridge
Earthquakes are fairly gentle
Volcanoes are gentler but more constant that destructive.

Question 15

Passive / conservative

Answer 15

2 plates slide past each other without creating or destroying land.
They often get stuck because of jagged plates causing the bios up of preassure until they jolt past each other.
Earthquakes are usually violent and frequent
* San Andreas fault

Question 16

Collision plate boundaries

Answer 16

Where 2 continental crusts collide neither can sink
Instead they push into each other forcing material to be folded up into huge mountain ranges
Can cause earthquakes
* Indian and Eurasian plates formed the Himalayas.

Question 17

What is continental drift ?

Answer 17

The earth was one land mass and has separated into the continents we know.