Hi
CONTINENTAL
DRIFT THEORY
▪ Earth’s surface is constantly changing.
▪ In the 1500s, Leonardo da Vinci
found seashell fossils in mountains –
proof they were once underwater.
▪ In 1920s, Alfred Wegener proposed
the Continental Drift Theory:
Continents move horizontally and were
once part of a supercontinent called
Pangaea.
Wegener’s Evidence
▪ Geographical- continents like South
America and Africa fit like puzzle pieces.
▪ Geological- Similar rocks & mountain
ranges on separate continents.
▪ Biological & Climatic- Fossils and climate
patterns found across now-distant
continents.
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Biological and Climatic
Evidence
▪ Biological Evidence:
- Fossils of Mesosaurus & Lystrosaurus found on
different continents, but they couldn’t swim
oceans.
- Fossils of the plant Glossopteris found in Africa,
India, Australia, & South America – seeds too large
to be wind-carried.
Biological and Climatic
Evidence
▪ Climatic Evidence:
- Glacial deposits & striations found in now-tropical
areas.
- Implies these continents were once near the South
Pole and connected.
▪ From Continental Drift to Plate Tectonics
- Wegener’s theory lacked a mechanism for
how continents moved.
- New evidence led to the Theory Plate
Tectonics.
▪ Paleomagnetism:
- Volcanic rocks showed magnetic reversals
and pole “shifts”.
- Proved the continents were moving, not the
poles.
▪ Seafloor Spreading:
- After WWII, scientists discovered mid-ocean
ridges.
- Harry Hess proposed magma rises and forms
new ocean crust, pushing the old crust away.
Seafloor Spreading & Plate Tectonics
• Young rocks near ridges, older farther
away.
• As magma cools, it records Earth’s
magnetic field.
• Ocean floor moves about 10 cm per
year.
• Earth’s surface is made of moving
Forces Behind Plate Movement
▪ Driving Forces:
1. Convection Currents- Heat from the
mantle circulates magma, pushing
plates.
2. Ridge Push- New crust cools,
becomes dense, and slides away
from mid-ocean ridges.
Major Tectonic Plates
▪ North ▪ Eurasian
America ▪ Indo-
▪ South Australian
America ▪ Antarctic
▪ Pacific
▪ African
Types of Plate Boundaries
1. Convergent Boundaries (Destructive)
* Oceanic – Oceanic Subduction
Volcanic Island arcs
* Oceanic – Continental Subduction
Volcanic arcs
* Continental – Continental No
subduction Mountain formation
Types of Plate Boundaries
2. Divergent Boundaries (Constructive)
-Plates move apart.
-New crust forms (e.g., Mid-Atlantic
Ridge).
Types of Plate Boundaries
3. Transform Boundaries (Conservative)
-Plates slide past each other.
-No crust created or destroyed,
but causes earthquakes.
Ocean Basin Evolution
Started with Pangaea, surrounded by Panthalassa
(Paleo-Pacific).
Broke into Laurasia and Gondwanaland → Tethys
Sea formed.
North Atlantic formed as Eurasian and North
American Plates separated.
South Atlantic formed from African and South
American Plate separation.
Continental Margins
Continents extend into the ocean forming
continental margins
▪ Passive Margins (No plate boundary):
Continental shelf – Gently sloping
submerged land.
Continental slope – Steep slope after the
shelf.
Continental Margins
Continents extend into the ocean forming
continental margins
▪ Passive Margins (No plate boundary):
Continental shelf – Gently sloping
submerged land.
Continental slope – Steep slope after the
shelf.
Continental Margins
▪ Active Margins (At plate boundaries):
- Include shelf and slope only.
- Have trenches, volcanic arcs,
- and frequent earthquakes.
That’s it for
today
