Understanding Continental Drift

Rock Formations

• geological structures across continents

• artificial structures built by humans

• natural formations of ice and snow

• structures made from volcanic activity

Evidence for Continental Drift

• distribution, rock formations, and glacial deposits

• ocean currents and wind patterns

• volcanic activity and earthquakes

• climate change and tectonic shifts

Fossil Evidence

• fossils found on different continents

• fossils found only in one continent

• fossils that are only marine

• fossils that are only from the Jurassic period

Pangaea

• that existed 300 million years ago

• a type of dinosaur

• a continent that is still present today

• a famous ancient civilization

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• mountain range supporting seafloor spreading

• a type of ocean current

• a volcanic island chain

• a deep ocean trench

Seafloor Spreading

• The process of oceanic crust forming at mid-ocean ridges

• The movement of tectonic plates away from each other

• The formation of mountains due to tectonic collision

• The sinking of oceanic crust into the mantle

Plate Tectonics

• explaining movement of Earth's lithosphere

• a theory about the origin of the universe

• a method of measuring earthquakes

• the study of ocean currents

Continental Drift Theory

• by Alfred Wegener in 1912

• by Charles Lyell in 1830

• by Isaac Newton in 1687

• by Marie Curie in 1903

Impact of Continental Drift

• of mountains, earthquakes, and volcanic activity

• of ocean currents and weather patterns

• of animal migration and extinction

• of climate change and sea level rise

Glacial Deposits

• of past glaciation in now tropical areas

• formed exclusively in polar regions

• consist mainly of volcanic ash

• are found only in mountainous terrains