Continental Drift and Seafloor Spreading

Which of the following best describes a theory?

• a theory is a scientific fact that is known to be true and correct

• a theory is an explanation of how and why something occurs

• a theory is an explanation that factually states how and why something occurs

• a theory is nothing more than a person's guess as to why something occurs.

When these continents were put together showing how the land masses may have been connected millions of years ago, we see that fossils common to some of the continents are found on their coast lines. Explain why these findings are significant, and how they support the theory of continental drift.

Answer explanation

The significance of finding these fossils is important in a couple of ways. First, the fossils being found on those continents would not survive in the various climates those continents have today in their present locations. Also, with the continents in their present locations, those creatures would have to had made their way across vast oceans to get to their present locations. Since none of them are sea creatures able to swim far enough to make it, the more reasonable explanation for both how they survive, and how they made it to the different continents, is that the continents had to be joined together in one giant land mass.

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The first piece of evidence Alfred Wegener identified before proposing his theory of continental drift was that the continents appeared as though they could fit together like a (a)   .

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What was the name of the theory that Alfred Wegener proposed explaining why the continents moved?

• seafloor spreading

• continental drift

• land moving

• rifting

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What type of fossils were noticed by Wegener to be found on two different continents?

• Leaves and flowers

• Ice and mountains

• Plants and animals

• Dinosaurs and reptiles

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Arjun, David, and Aria are studying geography. They are looking at a map of (a)   . They are trying to understand how the (b)   have (c)   over time due to (d)   .

• Pangaea

• continents

• moved

• plate tectonics

• continental drift

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Which of the following best describes the Continental Drift Theory?

• The continents are stationary and have not moved since Earth's formation.

• The continents are floating on the ocean and can move freely.

• The continents have moved over time due to the movement of the tectonic plates beneath them.

• The continents move due to the rotation of the Earth.

Answer explanation

The continents have moved over time due to the movement of the tectonic plates beneath them.

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What is the force that moves the continents?

• Conduction

• Convection

• Radiation

• Conveyor belts

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The idea that the continents move around the Earth's surface is called?

• Pangea

• continental drift

• plate tectonics

• sea-floor spreading

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Who is the person credited with developing the theory of continental drift?

• Harry Hess
• Alfredo Sauce
• Alfred Wegener
• Alfred the Butler

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