Transcript The Theory of Continental Drift

The Theory of Continental
Drift
Continental Drift Theory
• Proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912
• 250 million years ago, all of the continents
were combined into one super-continent
called “Pangaea”
• The continents gradually drifted apart to
where they are today
Evidence to Support the Theory
“Puzzle Pieces”
• Continents look like
they could be part of
a giant jigsaw puzzle
Distribution of Fossils
• Plant and animal
fossils found on the
coastlines of different
continents
Sequence of Rocks
• Same rock patterns
found in South
America, India, Africa,
Antarctica and
Australia
Ancient Climates
• Tropical plant remains
(coal deposits) found
in Antarctica
• Glaciation in Africa,
South America, India,
and Australia during
the same time
Problems With The Theory
• No mechanism for movement of
continents
• Wind and currents could possibly move
fossils
• Theory was not accepted by scientists
Exit-Slip
• Who came up with Continental Drift?
• Give at least 2 types of observational
evidence he used.
• Was the theory accepted of rejected by
other scientists?