Plate Tectonics Defined

The History of Continental Drift
1. Plate Tectonics defined.
2. What did Plate Tectonics replace?
3. Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift.

Evidence
Theory
Outcome
Plate: The Earth’s crust consists of a number of mobile
plates, masses of crust that move independently of
adjacent plates.
Tectonics: dealing with structural features of the Earth
(e.g., mountains, ocean basins).
Plate Tectonics: The process that involves the interaction

of moving crustal plates and results in major structural
features of the Earth.
A unifying theory in geology that explains a wide range of

geologic phenomena.
What did the modern theory replace?
Diastrophism: early term for all movement of the

Earth’s crust.
•Thought to result in the formation of mountains, ocean

basins, etc.
Contracting Earth Theory
•Theory that the Earth contracted or shrank over geologic

time.
Shrinking resulted in
a reduction in the
Earth’s diameter while
the circumference
remained unchanged
due to folding and
buckling of the crust
(diastrophism).
•First proposed by Giordano Bruno (16th C) who
compared the process to the drying of an apple.
Lord Kelvin (19th C) suggested that contraction was due to

cooling of the Earth.
The problems with this mechanism:
•Fossils are preserved in rocks that represent organisms

that could not withstand the early temperatures.
•Initial temperatures required for the amount of

contraction were too high to be realistic.
Other mechanisms of contraction:
Extrusion of molten rock from within the Earth (like a

tube of toothpaste).
•The amount of extrusive rock present is not enough to
explain the crustal shortening that would be needed.
Chemical shrinkage (1920s)
a) Decay of elements within the Earth to Helium which
then escapes to the atmosphere.
b) Combination of elements within the earth to form

denser elements.
Neither process is known to take place!
Contracting Earth Theory:
Widely accepted but a scientific house of cards.
Continental Drift
First evidence: The jigsaw fit of the outline of the
continental margins.
Frances Bacon (1620): while reviewing the first maps of
the coastlines of Africa and South America noted that the
outlines of the continents appear as if they could fit
together.
In 1858 Antonio Snider-Pellegrini made the following
“before and after” maps of South America and Africa.
This “jigsaw” fit of continental
margins is best when the outline
is the edges of the continental
shelves.
Frances Placet (1668) was the first to suggest that the
continents were actually fixed together as suggested by
their outlines.
Suggested that the continents had been torn apart by the
biblical flood.
Alfred Wegener became the “father of continental drift”
by amassing considerable supporting evidence that the
continents moved over time.
Born: Germany, 1880
PhD: Astronomy
Profession: Meteorologist and Greenland Explorer.
Died: 1930
In 1915 Wegener published his work in The Origin of the

Continents and Oceans.
Wegener’s Evidence:
The presence of fossils only over small areas of now
separate continents (how did they get from continent to
continent?).
Paleoclimate evidence
In the modern world

glaciers are found near
the north and south
poles.
Deserts are largely

found in bands that are
parallel to the equator.
Extensive reef
complexes lie along the
equator.
Desert deposits and reefs that
are several hundred million
years old are found in bands
that suggest the equator was
oriented as shown on the left.
If we assume that the poles

and equator are fixed, the
continents must have been in
different positions as shown
on the left.
Glacial deposits,
including structures
that indicate ice flow,
direction are located
in ancient rocks as
shown on the left.
Wegener suggested
that the pattern
formed with
continents together
at the south pole.
Ancient “cratons” within continents match up when they
are brought together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Earth features not consistent with a shrinking earth,
including:
The distribution of surface elevations.
The distribution of mountain belts: not randomly
distributed as would be expected for a shrinking Earth.
Wegener’s Conclusions:
1. That the continents were once joined. Therefore, they

must have moved apart over time.
2. Contracting Earth theory was not consistent with the

facts.
Wegener proposed a mechanism for continental drift:

pushing of the continents by gravitational forces that
derived from the sun and the moon (similar to tides).
Wegener’s ideas were strongly challenged by the scientific
community.
They suggested alternative interpretations of his
paleontological data:
Paleoclimate evidence was explained movement of the

poles rather than the continents.
Other evidence was refuted as being “coincidence” or just
being incorrect.
Errors in Wegener’s data led to easy arguments against
some conclusions.
He had predicted the North America and Europe were
moving away from each other at the rate of 250
cm/year……an impossible rate.
(we now know that they are moving apart at a rate up to 3
cm per year)
The second Biggest problem: the mechanism that

Wegener proposed was impossible and easily
demonstrated to be so.
The biggest problem was that Wegener’s ideas were
contrary to the dogma of the day.
By 1930 there were few geologists who believed Wegener’s

hypothesis.
He died while on an expedition to Greenland, two days

after his 50th birthday.
Over the next 20 years any suggestion of moving

continents was received with strong opposition.
In the 1950s evidence from the geological record of the

Earth’s magnetic field began to strongly suggest exactly
such movement.

Plate Tectonics Defined

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Plate Tectonics Defined

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Plate Tectonics Defined

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The History of Continental Drift

1. Plate Tectonics defined.

2. What did Plate Tectonics replace?

3. Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift.

Plate Tectonics: The process that involves the interaction

A unifying theory in geology that explains a wide range of

Diastrophism: early term for all movement of the

•Thought to result in the formation of mountains, ocean

Contracting Earth Theory

•Theory that the Earth contracted or shrank over geologic

Lord Kelvin (19th C) suggested that contraction was due to

The problems with this mechanism:

•Fossils are preserved in rocks that represent organisms

•Initial temperatures required for the amount of

Extrusion of molten rock from within the Earth (like a

b) Combination of elements within the earth to form

In 1915 Wegener published his work in The Origin of the

In the modern world

Deserts are largely

If we assume that the poles

1. That the continents were once joined. Therefore, they

2. Contracting Earth theory was not consistent with the

Wegener proposed a mechanism for continental drift:

Paleoclimate evidence was explained movement of the

The second Biggest problem: the mechanism that

By 1930 there were few geologists who believed Wegener’s

He died while on an expedition to Greenland, two days

Over the next 20 years any suggestion of moving

In the 1950s evidence from the geological record of the

You might also like