Continental Drift and Relative Dating

Front

What did Alfred Wegener's theory state?

Back

There once was an original land mass that was composed of all the continents.

Front

What is the Law of Superposition?

Back

In any sequence of undisturbed sedimentary rocks, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest layers are at the top.

Front

What is seafloor spreading?

Back

A process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges where new oceanic crust forms as the plates move away from one another.

Front

What was the name of the supercontinent that existed 335 million years ago?

Back

Pangaea.

Front

What theory did Alfred Wegener propose?

Back

The Theory of Continental Drift.

Front

What is continental drift?

Back

The movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other.

Front

What evidence supports the theory of continental drift?

Back

Fossil distribution, geological similarities, and the fit of continental coastlines.

Front

What is the significance of mid-ocean ridges?

Back

They are underwater mountain ranges where new oceanic crust is formed.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process where one tectonic plate moves under another and is forced into the mantle.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact with each other.