Restless Continents
Wegener’s Theory of Continental Drift Alfred Wegener looked at the continents as a puzzle. He came up with the theory of “Continental Drift.” Continental Drift is the theory that continents can drift apart from one another and have done so in the past. Continental Drift also explained how fossils of the same plant and animal species are found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Continental Drift
Pangea Pangea: is the idea that there was one single land mass called Pangea. Pangea existed approximately 245 million years ago. 180 million years ago, two big pieces broke apart into Laurasia and Gondwana
The Breakup of Pangea
Sea-Floor Spreading Sea-Floor Spreading occurs when new oceanic lithosphere is created as older materials are pulled away. When Sea-Floor Spreading occurs, tectonic plates move away from each other causing the continents to move on the Earth’s surface. Sea-Floor Spreading was the evidence that supported Wegner’s Theory of Continental Drift.
Sea-Floor Spreading