Reading 3 Week 16

THE CHANGING SHAPE OF OUR WORLD: THE THEORY OF CONTINENTAL DRIFT

 Unit 16

- Define the First drift of Continents

- Introduce Wegener’s theory about continents motion
- Practice the paragraph structure
- Develop your vocabulary
 The Changing Shape of Our World: The Theory of
Continental Drift

Scientists of the early 20th century believed that oceans and continents
were geographically fixed. They regarded the surface of the planet as a
static skin spread over a molten, gradually cooling interior. They believed
that the cooling of the planet resulted in its contraction, which caused the
outer skin to contort and wrinkle into mountains and valleys. Many people
notice, however, that the eastern shorelines of South America and the
western shoreline of Africa seemed to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

4
 The Changing Shape of Our World: The Theory of Continental
Drift

WEGENER’S THEORY
One scientist who took this observation seriously was Alfred
Wegener, who saw the Earth as a dynamic planet with the continents in
constant motion. He believed that all the continents had once been
joined together in one great supercontinent he called Pangaea,
meaning “all land.” His hypothesis was that Pangaea had fractured into
a number of pieces, and that South America and Africa had indeed
once been joined together as part of a larger landmass.

5
 SUPPORT FOR WEGENER’S THEORY
Wegener supported his hypothesis with impressive geological, biological, and climatological
evidence. He proposed that the geological boundary of each continent lay not at its shoreline but
at the edge of its continental shelf (the gently sloping platform between the shoreline and the
steep slope that leads to the deep ocean floor). When Wegener fit Africa and South America
together along their continental shelves, the fit was even better than it was at the shorelines.
Furthermore, rocks on different continents that are brought into juxtaposition when the
continental shelves are matched up are virtually identical. In addition, many of the mountain
systems in Africa and South America show strong evidence of a previous connection. Similarly,
fossils of identical land-dwelling animals are found in South America and Africa but nowhere else.
And fossils of identical trees are found in South America, India, Australia, and Antarctica.
5
 CRITICISM OF WEGENER’S THEORY
Wegener described continental drift in The Origin of Continents and
Oceans, published in 1915. Although he used evidence from different
scientific disciplines, his well-founded hypothesis was ridiculed by the
community of Earth scientists. Antagonists complained that Wegener failed to
provide a suitable driving force to account for the continental movements.
Without a convincing explanation for his theory, the scientific community of
the early part of the early part of the 20th century was not ready to believe
that the continents had drifted to their present position. It is only recently,
with new-found discoveries, that Wegener’s concept has become accepted.

5
 • THE CONCEPT OF SEAFLOOR SPREADING
The 1950s were a time of extensive and detailed mapping of ocean floors.
Topographic features revealed huge mountain ranges running down the middle of the
Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans; a major rift valley along each crest; and deep
ocean trenches near some of the continental landmasses, particularly around the
edges of the Pacific. So, some of the deepest parts of the ocean are actually near some
of the continents, and out in the middle of the oceans the water is relatively shallow
because of the underwater mountains. Volcanism and high thermal energies were
found to be generated at the ridge systems. With this new information, H.H.Hess, an
American geologist, presented the hypothesis of seafloor spreading. Hess proposed
that the seafloor is not permanent but is constantly being renewed.

5
He theorized that the ocean ridges are located above upwelling convection cells in
the mantle. As rising material from the mantle oozes upward, new lithosphere is
formed. The old lithosphere is simultaneously destroyed in the deep ocean
trenches near the edges of continents. Thus in a conveyer belt fashion new
lithosphere forms at a spreading center, and older lithosphere is pushed from the
ridge crest to be eventually recycled back into the mantle at a deep ocean trench.
The theory of seafloor spreading provided a mechanism for continental drift.
The time was right for the revolutionary concepts to follow. The tide of scientific
opinion had indeed switched in favor of a mobile Earth.
 BEFORE YOU CONTINUE READING

1. The main idea of the first two paragraphs is:

a. Wegener noticed what other scientists noticed and developed

a theory to explain these observations.

b. Early twentieth-century scientists agreed with Wegener’s

theory that the continents moved.

c. Wegener observed the continents and developed a theory to

explain how mountains were formed.
 BEFORE YOU CONTINUE READING
2. Name the three types of evidence Wegener gave in
support of his theory of continental drift.

a. ___________________
b. ___________________
c. ___________________
 4. Why was the concept of seafloor spreading so important?
a. It was important because it showed that the seafloor could
be mapper.

b. It was important because it described how ocean ridges are

located above upwelling convections.

c. It was important because it explained how the continents

could move.
 What evidence did Wegener use to support his theory of continental drift?
Use the diagram below to help you organize the information. Keep in mind
that his examples may support more than one kind of evidence.

Evidence

Wegener’s Theory of Continental

Drift

Evidence

Evidence
 VOCABULARY FROM CONTEXT
Read the following sentences. Then circle the correct choice to complete
them.
1. Fossils of identical land-dwelling animals are found in South America and
Africa but nowhere else. And fossils of identical trees are found in South
America, India, Australia, and Antarctica.

From this context we can understand that a fossil is ___ .

a. a picture of an ancient plant or animal
b. the place where an ancient plant or animal lived
c. the remains of an ancient plant or animal
Read the following sentences. Then circle the correct choice to complete them.

2. Wegener believed that all the continents had once been joined together in one great
supercontinent he called Pangaea, meaning “all land.” His hypothesis was that Pangaea
had fractured into a number of pieces, and that South America and Africa had indeed
once been joined together as part of a larger landmass.
(1) From this context, we can understand that fractured means___ .
a. broken up b. pulled together c. looked like
(2) How did you figure out the meaning of fractured?
a. Pangaea was made up of all the continents joined together.
b. Pangaea was one supercontinent that became a number of different pieces.
c. Pangaea started out as a single continent.
 VOCABULARY FROM CONTEXT
Read the following sentences. Then circle the correct choice to complete them.

3. When Wegener fit Africa and South America together along their continental
shelves, the fit was even better than it was at the shorelines. Furthermore, rocks on
different continents that are brought into juxtaposition when the continental shelves
are matched up are virtually identical.
From this context, we can understand that brought into juxtaposition means ____ .

a. put next to each other

b. carefully examined
c. forced to fit
 VOCABULARY FROM CONTEXT
Read the following sentences. Then circle the correct choice to complete them.

4. Hess proposed that the seafloor is not permanent but is constantly being renewed.
He theorized that the ocean ridges are located above upwelling convection cells in the
mantle. As rising material from the mantle oozes upward, new lithosphere is formed.
(1) From this context, we can understand that upwelling means ____ .
a. being located b. moving up c. slowly forming
(2) In these sentences, a synonym for upwelling is the word _____ .
a. rising b. renewing c. oozing
 Home assignment

- Read the slides carefully

- Note down the key terms
- Do exercises