Continental Drift

Front

What is Continental Drift?

Back

The theory that continents have moved over geological time from one location to their current positions.

Front

Who proposed the Continental Drift Theory?

Back

Alfred Wegener proposed the Continental Drift Theory in 1912.

Front

What is seafloor spreading?

Back

The process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and older crust moves away.

Front

What is a tectonic plate?

Back

A large, rigid piece of the Earth's lithosphere that moves and interacts with other plates.

Front

What is a plate boundary?

Back

The location where two tectonic plates meet.

Front

What is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?

Back

An underwater mountain range in the Atlantic Ocean formed by seafloor spreading.

Front

What evidence supports the Continental Drift Theory?

Back

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

Front

What is the asthenosphere?

Back

A semi-fluid layer of the Earth's mantle on which tectonic plates float.

Front

What are the three types of plate boundaries?

Back

Divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries.

Front

What happens at a divergent boundary?

Back

Tectonic plates move apart, leading to seafloor spreading.