...Wegener's theory Continental drift-In 1915, the German geologist and meteorologist Alfred Wegener first proposed the theory of continental drift, which states that parts of the Earth's crust slowly drift atop a liquid core. The fossil record supports and gives credence to the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics. Pangea was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It formed approximately 300 million years ago and then began to break apart after about 100 million years. Unlike the present Earth, much of the land mass was in the Southern Hemisphere. Pangea was fully assembled by the Early Permian Period, some 270 million years ago. It began to break apart about 200 million years ago, during the Early Jurassic Period, eventually forming the modern continents and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.The giant ocean that surrounded the continent is known as Panthalassa. The movement of Earth's tectonic plates formed Pangaea and ultimately broke it apart. Pangaea existed during the Permian and Triassic geological time periods, which were times of great change. This therefore shows that a certain extent of tectonic activity took place 200 million years ago to form our world that we know today. The idea of Pangea fitting together in a jigsaw fashion compared to how convection currents dictate the movement of the plate boundaries it can be seen as tangible that these pieces were to fit together very easily, however certain processes of...
Words: 1050 - Pages: 5
...introduced a theory in 1915 that the Earth’s crust is slowly drifting using fossil records as his supporting evidence. Wegeners idea was Earth was one big continent 200 million years ago, he called it Pangaea, which means “All earth”. Albert Wegener published a book about this theory in 1915 called, On the Origin of Continents and Oceans. An Austrian geologist named Eduard Seuss was the first to find that there had once been a land bridge that connecting South America, Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica, he named the large piece of land Gondwanaland, the southern part of the huge continent Pangaea after it broke up during the Jurassic period. Seuss’s theory is supported by the fossil plants that are found throughout India, South America, southern Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. Fossils of the first marine reptiles known as Mesosaurus that are even older than dinosaurs were found in South America and South Africa. With the discovery of the fossil in two different locations across water and the study of sedimentation and fossil plant in these southern continents led a South African scientist named Alexander duToit to supporting the idea that at one point all of the continents were once together and have drifted apart like Albert Wegener theorized. In 1960, a theory was made explaining the movement of the Earth’s plates and explains the causes of volcanoes, oceanic trenches, mountain range formation, earthquakes and other phenomenon’s. Tectonic plates move at an...
Words: 1116 - Pages: 5
...Phoenix Material Effects of the Motions of Tectonic Plates Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 This diagram was similar to one Alfred Wegener drew to show the distribution of continents 300 million years ago. His theory of continental drift was met with skepticism in the scientific community. 1. Describe three forms of evidence Wegener used to support his ideas of continental drift. • Continental Margins (Visually land masses fit together like a puzzle) • Rock layers (similarity on the coast lines as well in a different continent • Fossil evidence (How some animals were identical on the other side of the world, and how tropical plants were found in Arctic regions. 2. Years later, the continental drift theory reemerged as plate tectonic theory, with two additional pieces of evidence. Refer to the images above. Discuss in detail the two pieces of additional evidence that supported Wegener’s theory, now known as the theory of plate tectonics. • One additional piece of evidence was the mapping of the ocean sea floor. When all these investigations about the ocean sea floor were given to scientist, a new light in the composition of the rocks and their distribution was discovered. Wegener's ideas started now to make sense for most geologists, the saddest part is that at this time Wegener was already dead so he could not see his vindication...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
... Effects of the Motions of Tectonic Plates Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 This diagram was similar to one Alfred Wegener drew to show the distribution of continents 300 million years ago. His theory of continental drift was met with skepticism in the scientific community. 1. Describe three forms of evidence Wegener used to support his ideas of continental drift. 2. • Continental Margins (Visually land masses fit together like a puzzle) 3. • Rock layers (similarity on the coast lines as well in a different continent 4. • Fossil evidence (How some animals were identical on the other side of the world, and how tropical plants were found in Arctic regions. 5. Years later, the continental drift theory reemerged as plate tectonic theory, with two additional pieces of evidence. Refer to the images above. Discuss in detail the two pieces of additional evidence that supported Wegener’s theory, now known as the theory of plate tectonics. Part 2 Write paragraph answers to the following questions using what you have learned from Visualizing Earth Science and the assigned WileyPlus® GeoDiscoveries®. 1. How does the motion of the tectonic plates affect the climate? 2. How does the motion of the tectonic plates affect the geography? 3. How does the motion of the tectonic plates affect the distribution of organisms...
Words: 265 - Pages: 2
...Plate Tectonics SCI/245 January 13, 2010 Aimee Pellet Plate Tectonics One of the first scientists to theorize plate tectonics was Alfred Wegener. Alfred Wegener was a German scientist that lived from 1880-1930. He proposed that the continents shifted as time has gone by. “Wegener found that large-scale geological features on separated continents often matched very closely when the continents were brought together. For example, the Appalachian mountains of eastern North America matched with the Scottish Highlands, and the distinctive rock strata of the Karroo system of South Africa were identical to those of the Santa Catarina system in Brazil”(University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2004-2010). His theory was not accepted at first, it took decades for other scientists to see what he had originally tried to explain when publishing his theory in 1915. The reason his theory was not taken seriously is because there was no explanation for how the continents would move. Because the continents do not fit from shore line to shore line we have to look below the sea level and see where they fit best. The shore line do not stop at the water’s edge they slope into the water, this is called the continental shelf. Down about 100 meters there is a shelf break called the continental slope this is where the true edges of the continents can be found. “In Wegener’s time, the technique of radiometric dating was just being developed, so it was not easy to determine the...
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...Effects of the Motions of Tectonic Plates Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 This diagram was similar to one Alfred Wegener drew to show the distribution of continents 300 million years ago. His theory of continental drift was met with skepticism in the scientific community. [pic] 1. Describe three forms of evidence Wegener used to support his ideas of continental drift. Wegener used landorms, climate, and fossils to support his theory of continental drift. He said that when it came to landforms all the continents seemed to fit like a “jigsaw puzzle”. Even went as as far to say the mountain ranges seemed to line up as well. Wegener said that the same fossils and rock from one continent would end up on a different continent. For instance a fossil found in Africa would also be found in South America. When it came to climate, Wegener said that some fossils did not match the climate. For instance, there a glacier scratches in South Africa. 2. Years later, the continental drift theory reemerged as plate tectonic theory, with two additional pieces of evidence. [pic] [pic] Refer to the images above. Discuss in detail the two pieces of additional evidence that supported Wegener’s theory, now known as the theory of plate tectonics. The first image shows the...
Words: 674 - Pages: 3
...The Continental Drift Shawna Taylor SCI 101-1404A November 3, 2014 The Continental Drift was a theory in the early 20th century of Alfred Wegener, a German scientist. Wegener believed that the continental landmasses were drifting across the earth. Wegener noticed the coasts of South America and western Africa looked like a jigsaw puzzle with interlocking pieces. Both continents had some of the same biological and geological similarities. The fossil of the ancient reptile mesosaurus was only found in South America and southern Africa. The mesosaurus is a freshwater reptile roughly one meter long and couldn’t have swum in the ocean due to it being a freshwater reptile. Wegener also believed that all the continents were once joined in a super continent also known as Pangaea meaning all lands in Greek. Many scientists didn’t believe Wegener’s theory of the continental drift back then. Today’s scientists know now that continents sit on massive slabs called tectonic plates. Tectonic plates are constantly interacting and moving called plate tectonics. After a period of time the tectonic activity changes the surface of the earth and reshapes and rearranging the landmasses. The scientific method attempts to explain the phenomena of the universe using a consistent, logical, systematic method of investigation, using data collection, hypothesis, experiment, and a theory. Establishing a new theory must be introduced to the scientific community, be well written, documented and submitted...
Words: 523 - Pages: 3
...underneath the surface humans walk on every day. Those rocks are called tectonic plates, and about fifty years ago, scientists came to the conclusion that they move. Tectonic plates affect the Earth’s landscape drastically. Plates can change the Earth’s landscape by creating geographical features, causing natural phenomena such as earthquakes, and causing the drifting continents. Tectonic plates are located in between the upper mantle and crust, which are layers of the Earth. “The motion of tectonic plates is the biggest force reshaping Earth’s surface” (Land, 12). Since the plates are the biggest force, the assumption that...
Words: 903 - Pages: 4
...towards proving the plate tectonics theory is valid” Discuss the extent you agree with this statement. Plate tectonics is the theory used to explain the structures of the earth’s crust. Direct and indirect evidence can show us what is beneath our feet, or the composition of the crust. Volcanoes and earthquakes are both natural hazards, however are two of the most precise pieces of evidence to explain what is really happening up to 6371 kilometres away. In 1915, Alfred Wegener set out evidence for Continental drift using studies of continents fitting and glacial deposits samples. He discovered a large scale horizontal movement of continents in geological time. Rock types was one piece of evidence when discovering continental drift. The age, discovered by radiometric dating of rocks and distinct characters were both seen on two separate pieces of land. Other evidence such as Fossils from a fresh water Dinosaur, known as the Mesosauraus, is found on South America and Africa, there is no way this dinosaur could have swam across the Atlantic to populate on both lands. Although there was plenty of evidence for Continental drift, there was no reason of why the continents would be driven apart and together. This was until 50 years later, when geologist Harry Hess proposed his hypothesis on Seafloor spreading. He predicted that basaltic magma from the mantle rises to create new ocean floor at the Mid-Ocean Ridges. Seafloor spreading shows the mechanism of Wegener’s theory of Continental...
Words: 974 - Pages: 4
...University of Phoenix Material Effects of the Motions of Tectonic Plates Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 This diagram was similar to one Alfred Wegener drew to show the distribution of continents 300 million years ago. His theory of continental drift was met with skepticism in the scientific community. [pic] 1. Describe three forms of evidence Wegener used to support his ideas of continental drift. Wegner suggested that the continental shelves of the continents seemed to fit together similar to a puzzle. According Bugielski (1999), "continents in the southern hemisphere exhibit an identical pattern of rock and fossils known as the Gondwana sequence. The most logical explanation was that the continents themselves were once parts of a much larger super-continent (Early development of plate tectonics). Another point that Wegener used as evidence was by looking at the glacial till deposits. When the contintents were together, the glacial movement was, "more streamlined motion of the glacier from southern Africa and Northern Australia outward" (Bugielski, 1999). The last important piece of evidence that was used was by examinung sedimentary rock that was able to show a change in climates proving the theory of the continental drift or that the poles had moved. (Bugielski, 1999). Bugielski, M. (1999). The Richard Stockton...
Words: 859 - Pages: 4
...Plate tectonics give and take – Discuss Plate movement is caused by convection currents in the asthenosphere which is the lower part of the mantle. Heat form radioactive hotspots decays near the core and this residual heat, heats up the surrounding magma causing it to rise. This forms the rising limb of the convection current. When the current reaches the lithosphere, made up of the crust and the upper part of the mantle, the convection currents diverge. As it diverges, it drags the lithosphere with it. The convection current cools and descends forming the descending limb of the convection current. This pulls with it the lithosphere in a process known as dragging. This is proved by the moving of continents as seen in Wegener’s theory. He believed that there used to be one super continent called pangea 225 million years ago which later split up into the continents we have today showing that plate tectonic must give and take to move the continents we have today that have split off from the single continent of pangea. However Wegener’s theory is unable to explain how continental movement could have taken place. More evidence for plates giving and taking is palaeomagnetism which is the study of the Earth's magnetic field in rocks. Sea floor spreading was discovered at the North Atlantic Ridge where alternating polarity of rock can be seen which forms the ocean crust. Iron particles in lava erupted on the ocean floor are aligned with the earths magnetic field. As the lava solidifies...
Words: 1535 - Pages: 7
...towards proving that plate tectonics theory is valid” Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. (40 Marks) The theory of plate tectonics is a relatively new idea – only conceived and developed within the last 100 years and is now generally accepted as the explanation for the causation of earthquakes and volcanoes and where they occur. It has now replaced the theory that tectonic events are caused by god in most western countries. The theory of plate tectonics was first developed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. He saw that the continents seem to have a jig-saw fit e.g. Africa and South America coastlines fitting together, suggesting that they were at one time joined together as part of a super continent called Gondwanaland and the other super continent Laurasia was in the north. Later evidence supported this – the fossilised remains of a dinosaur, the mosasaurs, was found on the coasts of Brazil and Gabon. There were also the same fossilised pollen species and rock sediments on these coastlines. Wegener’s ideas, though simple, were proved further right and built upon which further increased our understanding of tectonic events. Sea floor spreading was discovered showing that rock is being created and destroyed, leading us to believe in the existence of plates and plate boundaries. Sea floor spreading was shown in the Atlantic, where it is believed the Eurasian and North American plates are moving apart, at what is called a constructive plate boundary. Here magma...
Words: 1355 - Pages: 6
...proving that plate tectonics theory is valid”. Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. Plate tectonics is the theory that suggests that the Lithosphere is separated up into approximately twelve plates that can be moved around via convection currents, changing the land and sea formations across the globe. Since interest began during the early 20th century a variety of propositions have been put forward to suggest the existence of plate tectonics. The most prominent of these theories is the existence of seismic waves and volcanic activity, especially the location and distribution of these. Along with these theories is the discovery of fossils and their locations across the globe, as well as the shape of the existing continents and the “jigsaw” theory. During the 17th century Francis Bacon noted that the West coast of Africa and Europe coincidentally looked as though they would fit with the East coast of the Americas. However, Bacon had little evidence for this theory, meaning it was swiftly forgotten. During the 1920’s, Alfred Wegner, proposed that the formation of the continents today has occurred via continental drift. However, Wegner goes on to suggest that 300 million years ago there was a single landmass, commonly known as Pangaea, as shown in Figure 1.1. Pangaea was one supercontinent that existed during the late Palaeozoic and carrying on into the early Mesozoic eras. It consisted of one huge land mass located in the southern hemisphere and was surrounded...
Words: 2088 - Pages: 9
...Evaluate how plate tectonic theory helps our understanding of the distribution of seismic and volcanic events (40 marks) Outline the theories Supporting evidence Notes: * Alfred Wegner – suggested that continents were once all joined together in an ancient super continent called Pangaea. Land masses had drifted apart until they got to a certain position. Used 4 different pieces of evidence to help support his theory: 1. Continental Fit – If you placed certain continents together they look like they should/could have been joined together at some point. For example western seaboard of Africa and Eastern sea board of South America. 2. Geological Evidence – Rocks of similar type and age sharing the same formation can be found in South East Brazil and South Africa, which were believed to be joined. Also similar glacial deposits found in the Antarctica, South America and India. 3. Climatological Evidence – Similar coal deposits have been found in places such as Antarctica, North America and UK, all of similar age and all formed in tropical conditions. Neither of these places is still tropical therefore the coal must have drifted apart. 4. Biological Evidence – Fossil formations can be found on either side of the Atlantic. An example of this is the Mesosaurus, this reptile could not fly, however its fossils were found only in South America and South Africa. Therefore they must have been joined; otherwise the fossils would not be in the same place. * Paleomagnestism...
Words: 1646 - Pages: 7
...discoveries supporting the theory of continental drift. He was the first person to discover that there was an under-sea mountain chain and he also proposed the theory of seafloor spreading. He made these findings while working on a boat in the Atlantic, he left the sounding equipment on so it would take measurements of the seafloor but what he found out was that the seafloor consisted of large mountains that had been flattened on the top. Dr. Hess published a book backing and explaining Alfred Wegner’s theory of continental drift and how it worked called History of Ocean Basins which also answered many unanswered questions in the geology community. Harry Hess was much more than just a geologist. Harry Hess was born May 27, 1906 in New York City. He received a Bachelor of science from Yale in 1931 and his Ph.D. from Princeton in 1932. Upon graduation Hess taught 1 year at Rutgers University and spent a year as a research assistant at a geophysical laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. In 1934 he became a professor at Princeton. In 1950 he became head of the geology department at Princeton and in 1963 became the Sixth Blair of Geology. Dr. Hess died of a heart attack August 26, 1969 of a...
Words: 552 - Pages: 3
