Table of Contents
What are the evidence in support of the continental drift?
In the early part of the 20th century, scientists began to put together evidence that the continents could move around on Earth’s surface. 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.
What are 3 fossils that support the idea of continental drift?
Four fossil examples include: the Mesosaurus, Cynognathus, Lystrosaurus, and Glossopteris. Modern day representation of the Mesosaurus. The Mesosaurus is known to have been a type of reptile, similar to the modern crocodile, which propelled itself through water with its long hind legs and limber tail.
What are 4 pieces of evidence for continental drift?
The four pieces of evidence for the continental drift include continents fitting together like a puzzle, scattering ancient fossils, rocks, mountain ranges, and the old climatic zones’ locations.
What is the weakness of continental drift theory?
Drawbacks of Continental Drift Theory Forces like buoyancy, tidal currents and gravity are too weak to be able to move continents. Modern theories (Plate Tectonics) accept the existence of Pangaea and related landmasses but give a very different explanation to the causes of drift.
What does Pangaea mean in Greek?
Pangea was surrounded by a global ocean called Panthalassa, and it was fully assembled by the Early Permian Epoch (some 299 million to 273 million years ago). Its name is derived from the Greek pangaia, meaning “all the Earth.”
What does seafloor spreading look like?
Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries. As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other, heat from the mantle’s convection currents makes the crust more plastic and less dense. The less-dense material rises, often forming a mountain or elevated area of the seafloor.
What are the 5 evidences of continental drift theory?
They based their idea of continental drift on several lines of evidence: fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils.
Where are the fossils that support continental drift?
Fossil CluesBesides the puzzlelike fit of the continents, fossils provided support for continental drift. Fossils of the reptileMesosaurushave been found in South America and Africa, as shown in Figure 2.
How are fossils formed at the same time?
Fossils made by the same type of organism in the same type of rock were likely formed at the same time and in the same place. The rock that contained the fossils must have moved after they were formed.
How are fossils provide evidence for the past?
Different kinds of animals and plants live in different parts of the world. This is true now, and it was true in the past. As a result, if you find fossils of the same animal or plant on different continents now, then that is evidence that those two continents may have been a single continent when those fossils were formed.
What’s the best way to make a continental drift?
Fold a vertical sheet of paper from side to side. Make the front edge about 1.25 cm shorter than the back edge. Turn lengthwise and fold into thirds. Unfold and cut only the layer along both folds to make three tabs.