EAPS 11200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Plate Tectonics, Continental Drift, Glossopteris
5 Feb 2019
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Plate tectonic theory: a unifying theory, helps explain a broad range of diverse observations interpret many aspects of a science on a grand scale and relate many seemingly unrelated phenomena, plate tectonics is a unifying theory of geology. Plate tectonics: plate tectonics helps to explain, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions formation of mountains location of continents location of ocean basins, tectonic interactions affect. Alfred wegener and the continental drift hypothesis: frank taylor (american, 1910, presented a hypothesis of continental drift with these features: lateral movement of continents formed mountain ranges. A continent broke apart at the mid-atlantic ridge to form the atlantic. Supposedly, tidal forces pulled formerly polar continents toward the equator this occurred when the earth captured the moon ~100 million years ago. Wegener"s evidence: shorelines of continents fit together, matching marine, nonmarine and glacial sequences, pennsylvanian to jurassic age, mountain ranges and glacial deposits match up when continents are united into a single landmass.
