Q.1
the Continental
Animals .
Ana: CONTINENTAL QB!ET THEORY
(;?'LL'!O/"/.:f/': l).1ru,J#1
I 1· kc I \)CCn n.,, ctrnl 1.11cnts on Lnnh hm c come un·u' 1,!'me · f hoi'.c thJI -.u r\lwd ha\ c c:
1hcir shuix'"l und locuti1111"1 in t he nwst omu1l11g \\ U)'S .
A
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Furth tod n) c11111uin:; i-cnn nm tor r11nlln cn • . 111esc 1m: A.f1en.
1:1rcticn. .SI. J\u..i
l:uro. Nnnh t\ mcrku. and S11uth ,\ mcr ica. 1he l'orth \\U'i 'cry d1lfcn.:nt Imm \\ hnt II 1'> til),
c11n1inc111s wcro not where we would C)>f>CCI 1hc111 to he
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111': Ct'nccpt 1hu1 con1incms tm w tx-cn lost j -; ,111 :mc1cn 1 nnc f rnncis R:a con ( l:i<il- 16.
propost.'CI thnt u cont inent numcd /\tlu nti s once cxistcJ in the miJJ lc of lh A tl :.11111 Ocean. hut
si111k beneath 1hc surfucc. Scient bts \\crc ohlc 10 dc111on,u:.i1,·1 h:11 t hc c"'''"ll ct•111111cnts h.lll mmcd,
cxr rndcd. und shrunk ( rtd) during their h iIOI). r\ Cll IU rt hcr. the propo-.cd thll C1•mi11.:n1, half
suhdividccl spa"ni ng ( t..:("':)1) llC\\ cun1inc111s.
Bct"cen 1912 and 1930. Gcrm:in 1!cophysicis1 nnd mctcurnl ogbt Alf rcll \\ ei:ma
(IHR0-1930) dcvclnncd the concer t t h:1t nll t hc con t incnh \\ ere :11 one ti me 11 ini:lc lu nd-m5
llongnco (nnmcd from the Grcck for enliri: l rnn l und Enrt h I < iwu: C 111i:ct in l.:11111JI . Wc1411q
h\'noth
c. iz.cdinto
t h nt
fi!limrc.
' ( )nn/-ents.
) occu rred ' ithin Pu nga i:- :1, reultin!! in it' fn1gmcntali11n pnd
sc1
111rufion
."l mall
cr conti
lie c11llcct ril c11n i1l ern h l e e\ ic k ncc for l hi' h \ oot he\i,,
""iq
he enltcd CllRl incnl•I cJrirl . bul foiled to C1l011:up \\ ith U COil\ illclllg lllCCh:llli:-.111 llf h11\\ ii work 'li.
Indeed. it is hard lo imagine a force t hot could move continents Such a lorcc ' oult.l h l\ c 10 11pc:r.llc oo
n global scnlc. Until a mechnnism was discovercd. cont inental d1 ifl · ·maincd a hypotheo;is.Olli u llk-.my.
Through the 1930s. 40s and 50s. most geologists cnnidcrcd \\ cgc1wr s h p1lthcs1s or driliing
conlincnts ns little more thon an imagi11:11 j, . fontasy (•,.;.J). L> uring thi. time. h1m cver. C\ idcncc w35
gathered. such as the fit lhc profiles of adjacc111 (but widcl) scp:iratcd ) continents :mJ 1hc imilurit 1>f
rocks. fossils, and ancient i:;lacintions on t hese cont inents. l\\ o funher lines of evidcncc :ire incluJcd
nu lcomagn clism a nd nccnn-noor sp rcn ding. r:vcntually evidence for contincnlol drill nec:u 111: so
huge thal it could no longer be ignored.
,...cl
fit
lcie
ien, with ..
IN conennlal....of ·
I• cMplh of soo l.lhom,(915 ...
dlt pment-dly cantlfltfli.I .._itlckNd.
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