Continental Drift Theory

Unit 1: Earth and Space
1. Earth’s Interior
2. Seismic Waves and Locating Earthquake’s Epicenter
3. Plate Tectonics
4. Plate Boundaries
4.1 Describe the different types of Plate
Boundaries
4.2 Explain the different processes that occur
along the plate boundaries.
5. Continental Drift and Seafloor Spreading
UNLOCKING OF DIFFICULTIES
Drift - a continuous slow movement from

one place to another.
Theory - formal statement of ideas that

are suggested to explain a fact or event,
or how something works
The continental drift theory
(introduced by Alfred Wegener in 1912)
states that at one point in time, all of the
continents were joined together as one
large mass of land, then the land spread
apart and drifted into their current
positions.
The Continental Drift
In 1912, Alfred Wegener (pronounced as vey-
guh-nuh r), a German meteorologist, proposed
a theory that about 200 million years ago, the
continents were once one large landmass. He
called this landmass Pangaea, a Greek word
which means “All Earth”
This Pangaea started
to break into two smaller
supercontinent called
Laurasia and
Gondwanaland during
the Jurassic Period.
These smaller
supercontinents broke
into the continents and
these continents
separated and drifted
apart since then.
Wegener searched
for evidences to support
his claim. He noticed the
fit of the edges of the
continents on the
opposite sides of the
South Atlantic. His
evidences to the
Continental Drift Theory
includes the distribution
of fossils in different
continents, rock features,
and ancient climates.
Evidence: The
Continental Jigsaw
Puzzle
The most visible and fascinating
evidence that these continents
were once one is their shapes.
The edge of one continent
surprisingly matches the edge of
another:
•South America and Africa fit
together;
•India, Antarctica, and Australia
match one another;
•Eurasia and North America
complete the whole continental
puzzle in the north.
Evidence from
Fossils
Fossils are preserved
remains or traces of
organisms (plants and
animals) from the remote
past. Fossilized leaves of an
extinct plant Glossopteris
were found in 250 million
years old rocks.
Distribution of Fossils across Different Continents
These fossils were located in the continents of Southern Africa,

Australia, India, and Antarctica, which are now separated from each
other by wide oceans. The large seeds of this plant could not possibly
travel a long journey by the wind or survive a rough ride through
ocean.
Glossopteris Fossil
Mesosaurus and Lystosaurus
are freshwater reptiles. Fossils
of these animals were
discovered in different
continents, such as in South
America and Africa. It is
impossible for these reptiles
to swim over the vast oceans
and move from one continent
to another. Fossils were also
found in Antarctica. Could it
be possible that they existed
in this region where
temperature was very low? Or
could it be possible that, long
before, Antarctica was not in
its current position?
Evidence from Rocks
• Fossils found in rocks support the

Continental Drift Theory. The rocks
themselves also provide evidence that
continents drifted apart from each other.
Rock formations in Africa line up with that in
South America as if it was a long mountain
range. How come these rock layers in
different continents line up together with
layers that exactly matched?
•The folded cape mountains of South

America and Africa line up perfectly as if they
were once a long mountain range.
Coal Deposits
Coal beds were
formed from the
compaction and
decomposition of
swamp plants that
lived million years ago.
These were discovered
in South America,
Africa, Indian
subcontinent,
Southeast Asia, and
even in Antarctica.
How is a coal bed formation possible
in Antarctica? The current location of
Antarctica could not sustain
substantial amount of life. If there is a
substantial quantity of coal in it, thus,
it only means that Antarctica must
have been positioned in a part of the
Earth where it once supported large
quantities of life. This leads to the
idea that Antarctica once experienced
a tropical climate, thus, it might have
been closer before to the equator.
Semirara Island
Semirara Mining and

Power Corporation is the
largest coal producer in the
country whose primary
mine is in Semirara Island.
The company accounts for
92% of the country's coal
production according to
the Department of Energy.
Power generation is the
primary use for coal in the
Philippines
Air pollution from coal-fired power
plants is linked with asthma, cancer,
heart and lung ailments, neurological
problems, acid rain, global warming,
and other severe environmental and
public health impacts.
Palm Concepcion
Power Corporation
The Seafloor Spreading
Scientists found a system of

ridges or mountains in the
seafloor similar to those found in
the continents. These are called
mid-ocean ridges. One of these is
the famous Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Mid-Atlantic
Ridge - an
undersea
mountain chain
in the Atlantic
Ocean. It has a
gigantic cleft
about 32-48 km
long and 1.6 km
deep.
Harry Hess and Robert Dietz
- suggested an explanation to the continental drift.

-This is the Seafloor Spreading Theory
- According to this theory, hot, less dense material
from below the earth’s crust rises towards the surface
at the mid-ocean ridge. This material flows sideways
carrying the seafloor away from the ridge, and creates
a crack in the crust. The magma flows out of the crack,
cools down and becomes the new seafloor.
Overtime, the new oceanic crust pushed the old oceanic crust far from the
ridge. The process of seafloor spreading allowed the creation of new bodies
of water.
Seafloor spreading is also pulling the
continents of Australia, South America,
and Antarctica away from each other in
the East Pacific Rise. The East Pacific Rise
is one of the most active sites of seafloor
spreading, with more than 14
centimeters every year.
Findings that support Seafloor Spreading
Theory:
1.Rocks are younger at the mid-ocean ridge.

2. Rocks far from the mid-ocean ridge are older.
3. Sediments are thinner at the ridge.
4. Rocks at the ocean floor are younger than
those at the continents.
The rate of formation of a new seafloor
is not always as fast as the destruction
of the old seafloor at the subduction
zone. This explains why the Pacific
Ocean is getting smaller and why the
Atlantic Ocean is getting wider.
➢If subduction is faster than seafloor
spreading, the ocean shrinks.
➢When the seafloor spreading is

greater than the subduction, then the
ocean gets wider.
Magnetic reversals happened
many times in the past. The
occurrence of magnetic
reversals can be explained
through the magnetic patterns
in magnetic rocks, especially
those found in the ocean floor.
When lava solidifies, iron
bearing minerals crystallize. As
these crystallize, the minerals
behave like tiny compasses
and align with the Earth’s
magnetic field.
So when magnetic
reversal occurs, there is
also a change in the
polarity of the rocks. This
allowed scientists to
visualize the magnetic
stripes in the ocean floor
similar to Figure 14, and
to construct a magnetic
polarity time scale similar
to Figure 15.
•Over the last 10 million years,
there has been an average of 4
to 5 reversals per million years.
New rocks are added to the
ocean floor at the ridge with
approximately equal amounts
on both sides of the oceanic
ridge. The stripes on both sides
are of equal size and polarity
which seemed to be mirror
images across the ocean ridge.
What does this indicate? It
indicates that indeed, the
seafloor is spreading.
Convection Current
The convection currents rotate very slowly, as
they move and drag the plates along. Because
of convection current, the tectonic plates are
able to move slowly along the tectonic
boundaries, pushing each other, sliding past
each other and drifting away from each other.

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Unit 1: Earth and Space

Drift - a continuous slow movement from

Theory - formal statement of ideas that

These fossils were located in the continents of Southern Africa,

• Fossils found in rocks support the

•The folded cape mountains of South

Semirara Mining and

Scientists found a system of

- suggested an explanation to the continental drift.

1.Rocks are younger at the mid-ocean ridge.

➢When the seafloor spreading is

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