What is the four continental drift theory?

Continental drift was a theory that explained how continents shift position on Earth’s surface. Set forth in 1912 by Alfred Wegener, a geophysicist and meteorologist, continental drift also explained why look-alike animal and plant fossils, and similar rock formations, are found on different continents.

What are the four pieces of evidence for continental drift quizlet?

List four pieces of evidence for Wegener’s hypothesis of continental drift? Continents fit like a puzzle, climate clues, fossil clues, and rock layers or formations. What was the name of the reptile that Wegners found in both South America and Africa?

What are 3 pieces of evidence for Pangea?

Alfred Wegener, in the first three decades of this century, and DuToit in the 1920s and 1930s gathered evidence that the continents had moved. They based their idea of continental drift on several lines of evidence: fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils.

What are 6 pieces of evidence that support continental drift?

What are six pieces of evidence for the continental drift theory? Reptile Fossils- dinosaurs couldn’t have swam across a vast ocean. Plant Fossils- all these regions were once connected and had similar climates. Tropical plants found in Arctic- tropical plants can’t grow in cold climates.

What are the 4 pieces of evidence that support plate tectonics?

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.

What is the evidence of Pangea?

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. Fossil evidence for Pangaea includes the presence of similar and identical species on continents that are now great distances apart.

What are 5 pieces of evidence of continental drift?

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.

How do we know Pangea existed?

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. Together, these discoveries supported the existence of Pangea. Modern geology has shown that Pangea did actually exist.

What is the evidence of plate tectonics?

Evidence from fossils, glaciers, and complementary coastlines helps reveal how the plates once fit together. Fossils tell us when and where plants and animals once existed. Some life “rode” on diverging plates, became isolated, and evolved into new species.

How did Pangea split?

The models show how tectonic plate motion and mantle convection forces worked together to break apart and move large land masses. For example, Pangaea’s large mass insulated the mantle underneath, causing mantle flows that triggered the initial breakup of the supercontinent.

What are two pieces of evidence for continental drift?

The first piece of evidence of Continental Drift is that the coasts of. Western Africa and Eastern South America fit together like puzzle pieces. The second piece of evidence of Continental Drift is that the fossil of. Mesosaurus was found on South America and Africa. The third piece of evidence of continental Drift is that the plant fossil of.

What is the evidence that support continental drift theory?

Continental Drift – Evidence. The evidence which gave rise to the theory of continental drift — more correctly called plate tectonics — includes the following: The coasts of the continents surrounding the Atlantic ocean could, if the continents were moved closer, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

What does continental drift indicate about the Earth?

Continental drift is the theory that the Earth’s continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have “drifted” across the ocean bed.

What is evidence use to prove continental drift?

Wegener specifically used rock composition and mountain ranges to provide evidence of continental drift. He provided evidence that mountain ranges occurring on opposite continents matched up pretty well when brought together. This perfect aligning of mountain ranges indicated that the continents were once together.