10TH GRADE
SCIENCE
📘 REVIEWER: CONTINENTAL DRIFT & PLATE TECTONICS
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Theory of Plate Tectonics
➤ Overview
Developed in the 1960s, combining Wegener’s ideas with new discoveries about the seafloor and
Earth’s interior.
Describes the structure of the Earth's lithosphere as being divided into several large and small
tectonic plates.
These plates float on the semi-molten upper mantle layer called the asthenosphere.
Movement is driven by convection currents in the mantle.
➤ Evidence Supporting Plate Tectonics
1. Seafloor Spreading
Discovered at mid-ocean ridges (e.g., Mid-Atlantic Ridge).
New crust forms at divergent boundaries and pushes older crust outward.
2. Paleomagnetism
Magnetic minerals in lava align with Earth’s magnetic field as they cool.
Symmetrical magnetic striping on either side of mid-ocean ridges proves seafloor spreading.
3. Distribution of Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur along plate boundaries.
Example: "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific Plate.
. Age of Ocean Floor
4
Ocean floor near mid-ocean ridges is younger than that near continental margins.
Plate Boundaries
➤
1. Divergent Boundary
Plates move apart.
Creates mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys.
Example: Mid-Atlantic Ridge, East African Rift.
. Convergent Boundary
2
Plates move toward each other.
Can form mountains, volcanoes, or deep ocean trenches.
Types:
Oceanic–Continental Oceanic–Oceanic Continental–Continental
3. Transform Fault Boundary
Plates slide past one another horizontally.
Causes earthquakes.
Example: San Andreas Fault in California.
➤ Types of Lithospheric Plates
Major Plates:
Pacific Plate
North American Plate
South American Plate
African Plate
Eurasian Plate
Antarctic Plate
Indo-Australian Plate
Minor Plates:
Nazca Plate
Cocos Plate
Caribbean Plate
Philippine Sea Plate
Arabian Plate
➤ Importance of Plate Tectonics
Explains the distribution and causes of earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, and oceanic
trenches.
Helps predict geological hazards.
Offers a unifying theory in Earth science.
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🌍 Theory of Continental Drift
➤ Overview
Proposed by Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist and geophysicist, in 1912.
Suggests that the continents were once joined together in a single landmass, called Pangaea,
which means "all Earth."
Around 200-300 million years ago, Pangaea began to break apart and drift to their present
locations.
➤ Major Landmasses from Pangaea
1. Laurasia – Northern supercontinent (includes North America, Europe, and Asia).
2. Gondwanaland – Southern supercontinent (includes South America, Africa, Antarctica, India,
and Australia).
➤ Key Evidence Supporting Continental Drift
1. Fit of the Continents
The coastlines of South America and Africa appear to fit together like puzzle pieces.
2. Fossil Evidence
Identical fossils found on continents that are now far apart.
Mesosaurus – A freshwater reptile found in South America and Africa.
Glossopteris – A fossilized plant found in Africa, South America, India, and Antarctica.
3. Geological Evidence
Similar rock formations and mountain ranges found on different continents.
Example: Appalachian Mountains in the USA align with mountains in Greenland and Scotland.
4. Climatic Evidence
Evidence of glacial activity in now-tropical areas
Coal deposits found in Antarctica, suggesting it was once in a tropical location.
➤ Limitations of the Theory
Wegener could not explain the force that moved the continents.
He proposed that the continents plowed through the ocean floor, which was scientifically
incorrect.
Because of this, his theory was not widely accepted during his lifetime.
