What is meant by the phrase continental drift?

What is meant by the phrase continental drift?

: a slow movement of the continents on a deep-seated viscous zone within the earth — compare plate tectonics.

What is modern name for continental drift?

plate tectonics
In the early 20th century, a scientific theory called continental drift was proposed about this migration of the continents. That theory was initially ridiculed, but it paved the way for another theory called plate tectonics that scientists have now accepted to explain how Earth’s continents move.

What is continental drift and why is it important?

continental drift, large-scale horizontal movements of continents relative to one another and to the ocean basins during one or more episodes of geologic time. This concept was an important precursor to the development of the theory of plate tectonics, which incorporates it.

What is the main point of the continental drift theory?

Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth’s continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have “drifted” across the ocean bed. The speculation that continents might have ‘drifted’ was first put forward by Abraham Ortelius in 1596.

How do you explain continental drift to a child?

The theory of continental drift proposes that the continents are drifting away from each other because they are located on tectonic plates, or sections that make up the Earth’s crust, the outermost rigid layer of the Earth. These plates are constantly moving around on the Earth’s surface, like rafts in a pool.

What is continental drift kid definition?

Continental Drift The plates have moved across Earth’s surface for hundreds of millions of years. As the plates move, the continents on them move, too. This movement is called continental drift. A number of supercontinents have formed and broken apart on Earth over time.

Why did scientists reject Wegener’s idea of continental drift?

The main reason that Wegener’s hypothesis was not accepted was because he suggested no mechanism for moving the continents. He thought the force of Earth’s spin was sufficient to cause continents to move, but geologists knew that rocks are too strong for this to be true.

Who is the father of continental drift?

Alfred Wegener
Alfred Wegener: The Father of Continental Drift.

What proves continental drift?

The evidence for continental drift included the fit of the continents; the distribution of ancient fossils, rocks, and mountain ranges; and the locations of ancient climatic zones.

How can you explain continental drift theory?

Continental drift was a theory that explained how continents shift position on Earth’s surface. Set forth in 1912 by Alfred Wegener, a geophysicist and meteorologist, continental drift also explained why look-alike animal and plant fossils, and similar rock formations, are found on different continents.

Why was continental drift so controversial during Alfred Wegener’s time what explanation was necessary to support his hypothesis?

What explanation was necessary to support his hypothesis? Continental drift is not easily observable because tectonic plates move very slowly. When Wegener proposed the continental drift hypothesis, he was unable to identify a force that could move continents.

When did Wegener make his discovery?

Wegener first presented his theory in lectures in 1912 and published it in full in 1915 in his most important work, Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane (The Origin of Continents and Oceans).