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CONTINENTAL DRIFT

Explore Alfred Wegener's groundbreaking theory of Pangaea and Continental Drift, supported by rock and fossil evidence from different continents. Discover how Wegener's observations and subsequent scientific evidence revolutionized our understanding of Earth's geological history.

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CONTINENTAL DRIFT

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  1. CONTINENTAL DRIFT http://www.tectonics.caltech.edu/movies/outreach/sumatra/pangaea.mov

  2. Alfred L. Wegener • Geologist Alfred Wegener noticed similar rocks & fossil remains were found on continents which seemed to fit together • He called this “super” continent called Pangaea • In 1912 Wegener published the first version & died defending his theory

  3. PANGAEA the large landmass that included all of Earth’s present day continents

  4. Support for Continental Drift 1. SHAPE of the continents Continents fit together like puzzle pieces

  5. Support for Continental Drift 1. SHAPE of the continents • Wegener was not the only one to notice the fit of the continents. • 1858: Antonio Pelligrini depicted Africa and South America connected. • He was one of the first scientists to publish maps depicting the apparent fit of the continents.

  6. Support for Continental Drift 2. FOSSIL EVIDENCE SAME FOSSILS: DIFFERENT CONTINENTS Mesosaurus was incapable of swimming across a large ocean.

  7. Support for Continental Drift 3. ROCK EVIDENCE – Mountain ranges • SAME ROCK: DIFFERENT RANGE Existing mountain ranges separated by vast oceans contain rocks of identical mineral content. • A prime example are the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern U.S and the Caledonian Mountains in the British Isles.

  8. SAME SCARS: DIFFERENT CONTINENTS Support for Continental Drift 4. GLACIAL SCARS

  9. 5. LOCATION OF Coal Deposits Support for Continental Drift Coal deposits have been found in temperate and polar regions; however, coal is formed in tropical regions.

  10. CONTINENTAL DRIFT IN DOUBT Why didn’t people believe in continental drift? • People couldn’t image how the earth could be millions of years old • People couldn’t image a force great enough to move the continents BUT by the 1960’s evidence would prove continental drift is TRUE and…. The story continues (as does all good science!)

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