Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics
Continental Drift Theory
• First 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
• Wegner didn’t make up this theory out of
the blue – like all scientists, he based it on
evidence
Evidence Summary
• Geographic fit of South America and Africa
• Fossils match across oceans
• Rock types and structures match across
oceans
• Ancient glacial features
Geographic Fit
• Continents look like
they could be part
of a giant jigsaw
puzzle
• Here’s how they
moved apart
Fossils Match
• Plant and animal fossils found on the coastlines
of different continents
Fossil Fuel in Antarctica
• Tropical plant remains (coal deposits) found in
Antarctica
– this is evidence that Antarctica was once much warmer
and much closer to the equator, since tropical plants
don’t grow in Antarctica today
Rock Structures Match Across Oceans
• Same rock patterns found in South America,
India, Africa, Antarctica and Australia
Rock Structures Match Across Oceans
Ancient Glacial Features
• Glaciation in
Africa, South
America, India,
and Australia
during the same
time
Ancient Glacial Features
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