Tectonic Plates Flashcards
Where did wegener’s theory of continental drift come from?
He found similar fossils on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean so investigated it
What else did Wegener notice?
The coastlines of Africa and South America seemed to fit together like pieces in a jigsaw
There were matching layers of rocks in different continents
Found fossils where the climate would have killed the animal found
What did wegener do in 1915?
Publish his theory of continental drift
What was the theory of continental drift?
The theory that about 300 million years ago there was one ‘super continent’
This land mass Pangea broke into smaller chunks which moved apart
He claimed our modern day continents were slowly drifting apart
Why was his theory not widely accepted?
He said the movement was caused by tidal forces and the earths rotation but geologists said this was impossible and the force needed to move continents would have stopped the earth rotating
Why else did scientist not believe him?
He wasn’t a proper geologist (he’d studied astronomy)
Hé used in accurate data
What happened in 1950 / 1960?
1950- scientists investigated ocean floor showing him to be partially correct
1960- geologists were convinced, we not thing the earths crust is made of several chunks called tectonic plates
What is a continent?
What the earths surface/ crust is separated in to
