CONTINEN

TAL DRIFT
THEORY
 Timeline of Important Events
1858 Antonio Snider-Pellegrini suggests that continents were linked during the Pennsylvanian period (325 million to 286
million years ago), because Pennsylvanian plant fossils from Europe and North America were similar.
Australian geologist Edward Seuss sees similarities between plant fossils from South America, India,
1885 Australia, Africa and Antarctica, and coins "Gondwanaland" for a proposed ancient super-continent with these
land masses.

1910 American physicist F.B. Taylor proposes concept of continental drift to explain formation of
mountain belts.
1912- German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposes theory of continental drift, based on evidence from
1915 geology, climatology and paleontology. Wegener names one of the ancient super-continents "Pangea," and
draws maps showing how the continents moved to today's positions.
1920-
Assorted arguments are used to debunk continental drift, most importantly the lack of a
1960
mechanism strong enough to move continents across or through ocean basins.
South African geologist Alexander du Toit maps out a northern super- continent, "Laurasia," to
1937 explain coal deposits, which presumably indicate the remains of equatorial plants, in the Northern
Hemisphere.
1960-
present A mass of evidence for continental drift, or plate tectonics, starts accumulating
 Who is Alfred Lothar Wegener?
 a German polar researcher, geophysicist and
meteorologist.

 Wegener was convinced that all of Earth’s

continents were once part of an enormous, single
landmass called Pangaea

 He is most remembered as the original theorist of

the theory of continental drift by hypothesizing
Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) that the continents are slowly drifting around the
Earth.
What is Pangaea?
 Pangea is the theory that all the continents were once
all perfectly put together as one giant land mass and
after millions of more years they had separated and
detached from each other.
What is Continental Drift Theory?
 A theory that explains the
movement of Earth’s continents
over geologic time relative to
each other, thus appearing to
have drifted across the ocean bed.
Proposed by Alfred Wegener in
1912
Evidences to Support the Theory
Puzzle Pieces or Jigsaw Fit

Climatic Evidence (Paleoclimates)

Fossil Correlation

Rock Types and Structural Similarities

1. Puzzle Pieces or Jigsaw Fit
The jigsaw fit of the outline of the continental margins

According to Frances Bacon In 1858 Antonio Snider-Pellegrini

(1620) the outlines of the made the following “before and
continents appear as if they after” maps of South America and
could fit together. Africa.
Puzzle Pieces or Jigsaw Fit

Frances Placet (1668) was the

first to suggest that the
continents were actually fixed
together as suggested by their
outlines.
2. Climatic Evidence (Paleoclimate)

In the modern world glaciers are

found near the north and south
poles.
Deserts are largely found in bands
that are parallel to the equator.
Extensive reef complexes lie along
the equator.
 Climatic Evidence (Paleoclimate)

 Desert deposits and reefs that are  If we assume that the poles and
several hundred million years old equator are fixed, the continents
are found in bands that suggest must have been in different
the equator was oriented positions.
 Climatic Evidence
(Paleoclimate)
 Glacial deposits were found in South
America, Africa, India, and Australia.
 These continents are presently not in
cold climates, therefore must have been
in a colder climate in the past and the
continents later moved to the positions
they are presently in today.
Glacial deposits, including
structures that indicate ice flow,
direction are located in ancient
rocks

Wegener suggested that the

pattern formed with
continents together at the
south pole.
3. Fossil Correlation
The presence of fossils are only over small areas and now in
separate continents. How did they get from continent to
continent?
Fossil Correlation
Plant and animal fossils found
on the coastlines of different
continents
Mesosaurus (reptile that lives
on land and fresh water) found
in South America and Africa
Glossopteris (plant) found on
Africa, Australia, Asia, South
America and Antarctica
4. Rock Types and Structural Similarities
rock composition and mountain chains appear to be continuous
on neighboring continents, representing prejoined positions
 Scientist also noted that even though the
continents appear to fit together, the overall
picture has to be continuous from one
continent to another. Continuous
Mountains

 This picture included the type of rock on

neighboring continents and structural Similar
Rock Types
similarities such as mountains. For
example, the Appalachian mountains.
 Arguments Against
1. With further investigation Alexander DuToit suggested that the
continental shelves would fit better because of the absence of
erosion beneath the oceans. (Evidence 1)
2. Paleoclimate evidence was explained as the movement of the poles
rather than the continents. (Evidence 2)
3. Other evidence was refuted as being “coincidence” or just being
incorrect. (Evidence 3 & 4)
4. The mechanism that Wegener proposed was impossible and easily
demonstrated to be so.
Problems with the Theory
 Theory was not accepted by scientists because
there was not enough evidences.
 Wegener could not explain what caused the
continents to break apart and drift away.
 He hypothesized that continents plow through the
ocean floor or that the spinning of Earth on its
axis was the cause (for which there was no proof)
Evolution of the Theory

 In the 1950s, evidence from the

geological record of the Earth’s
magnetic field began to strongly
suggest exactly such movement.
 Continental Drift Theory lead to
the development of the Modern-
Day Plate Tectonics Theory
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