Continental Drift” Central Dauphin School District大陆漂移”中央海豚学区.pptVIP

“Continental Drift” I. Early Evidence of Continental Movement: II. Plate Tectonics: / rhaberlin/ptquiz.htm * * A. Continental Drift: 1. Continental Drift - A hypothesis, which states that continents have moved around the globe, over time, to reach their current positions. 2. Alfred Wegener came up with this theory in 1912. 3. He believed that all continents were connected as one large landmass about 200 million years ago. 4. Then they broke and drifted to their current positions. 5. He called this super land mass Pangaea. B. Wegener’s Proof: 1. Some continents look like they fit together. 2. Geological Clues: A.) Mountain Belts lined up. (ex. North America Europe) B.) Rock layers matched. (Ex. South America Africa) 3. Fossil Clues: A.) Fossils of living things were found on different continents that are separated by large bodies of water. B.) Ex. Mesosaurus found in S.America Africa. Glossopteris found in S. America, India, Africa, Antarctica. As the plate moves, the mountains grow 4.Climate Clues: A.) He found coal deposits in N. America that matched coal deposits in Europe. B.) He found salt deposits in the desert part of Africa. C.) Glacial deposits in tropical regions like India and Australia. C. Modern Day Proof: 1. Seafloor Spreading: A.) The theory states that magma travels to the earth’s surface. B.) The magma forms cracks in the ocean floor. C.) These cracks are called Mid-Ocean Ridges. D.) The magma pushes out of the mid-ocean ridge. E.) As the magma hardens it pushes the layers of the ocean floor away from the mid-ocean ridge. F.) The process then repeats it self. D. Seafloor Spreading Proof: A.) The oldest layers of the Atlantic Ocean floor are on the coastline of the continents. (180 million years old.) B.) The youngest layers of the Atlantic Ocean floor are in the center of the ocean. (50 million years old) C.) The Atlantic Ocean is getting larger. /learn/plate4.htm A. Layers of the Eart