The Continental Drift

Theory
▪ According to the theory of continental drift, the world was made up of
a single continent through most of geologic time. That continent
eventually separated and drifted apart, forming into the seven
continents we have today.
▪ Continental drift was a revolutionary scientific theory developed in the
years 1908-1912 by Alfred Wegener.
▪ He had no satisfactory mechanism to offer , but appealed to a less-
dense continent “floating” and “drifting” over a more dense oceanic
crust (like icebergs in the ocean).
▪ Most geologists were highly skeptical and the idea was NOT widely
accepted.
Who is Alfred Wegener?

• He is a German meteorologist, climatologist, and

geophysicist, that put forth the hypothesis that the
continents had all originally been a part of one
enormous landmass or supercontinent about 240
million years ago before breaking apart and drifting to
their current locations.

• Wegener postulated that about 200 million years ago,

a supercontinent that he called Pangaea (which means
"all lands" in Greek) began to break up. Over millions
of years the pieces separated, first into two smaller
supercontinents, Laurasia and Gondwanaland, during
the Jurassic period.
 Pangaea
▪ Pangaea was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.
▪ Pangaea was the most recent supercontinent to have existed and the first to be reconstructed by
geologists.
▪ The name "Pangaea/Pangea" is derived from Ancient Greek pan (πᾶν, "all, entire, whole")
and Gaia (Γαῖα, "Mother Earth, land")
▪ About 300 million years ago, Earth didn't have seven continents, but instead one massive
supercontinent called Pangaea, which was surrounded by a single ocean called Panthalassa.
▪ The explanation for Pangaea's formation ushered in the modern theory of plate tectonics,
which posits that the Earth's outer shell is broken up into several plates that slide over Earth's
rocky shell, the mantle.
▪ Over the course of the planet's 3.5 billion-year history, several supercontinents have formed
and broken up, a result of churning and circulation in the Earth's mantle, which makes up most
of planet's volume. This breakup and formation of supercontinents has dramatically altered the
planet's history.
Pangaea
 Pangaea
▪ Pangaea formed through a gradual process spanning a few hundred
million years. Beginning about 480 million years ago, a continent
called Laurentia, which includes parts of North America, merged with
several other micro-continents to form Euramerica. Euramerica
eventually collided with Gondwana, another supercontinent that
included Africa, Australia, South America and the Indian subcontinent.
▪ About 200 million years ago, the supercontinent began to break
up. Gondwana (what is now Africa, South America, Antarctica, India
and Australia) first split from Laurasia (Eurasia and North America).
Then about 150 million years ago, Gondwana broke up. India peeled
off from Antarctica, and Africa and South America rifted, according to
a 1970 article in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Around 60
million years ago, North America split off from Eurasia.
Evidence: The Continental Jigsaw Puzzle
▪ It has been noted that the
coastlines of South America
and West Africa seem to
match up, however more
particularly the terrains of
separate continents conform
as well. Examples include: the
Appalachian Mountains of
eastern North America linked
with the Scottish Highlands,
the familiar rock strata of the
Karroo system of South
Africa matched correctly with
the Santa Catarina system in
Brazil, and the Brazil and
Ghana mountain ranges
agreeing over the Atlantic
Ocean.
Evidence from Fossils
▪ This indicates that these
continents had to be
once joined together
because the extensive
oceans between these
land masses act as a type
of barrier for fossil
transfer. Four fossil
examples include: the
Mesosaurus,
Cynognathus,
Lystrosaurus, and
Glossopteris.
Evidence from Fossils

▪ The Mesosaurus is known to have been a

type of reptile, similar to the modern
crocodile, which propelled itself through
water with its long hind legs and limber
tail. It lived during the early Permian
period (286 to 258 million years ago) and
its remains are found solely in South
Africa and Eastern South America. Now
if the continents were in still their present
positions, there is no possibility that the
Mesosaurus would have the capability to
swim across such a large body of ocean
as the Atlantic because it was a coastal
animal.
Evidence from Fossils

▪ The now extinct Cynognathus, which

translates to “dog jaw”, was a mammal-
like reptile. Roaming the terrains during
the Triassic period (250 to 240 million
years ago), the Cynognathus was as
large as a modern wolf. Its fossils are
found only in South Africa and South
America. As a land dominant species,
the Cynognathus would not have been
capable of migrating across the Atlantic.
Evidence from Fossils

▪ The Lystrosaurus, which translates to

“shovel reptile,” is thought to have been
an herbivore with a stout build like a pig.
It is approximated that it grew up to one
meter in length and was relatively
dominant on land during the early
Triassic period (250 million years ago).
Lystrosaurus fossils are only found in
Antarctica, India, and South Africa.
Similar to the land dwelling
Cynognathus, the Lystrosaurus would
have not had the swimming capability to
traverse any ocean.
Evidence from Fossils

▪ Possibly the most important fossil evidence found is the

plant, Glossopteris. Known as a woody, seed bearing tree,
the Glossopteris is named after the Greek description for
tongue due to its tongue shaped leaves and is the largest
genus of the extinct descendant of seed ferns. Reaching as
tall as 30 meters, the Glossopteris emerged during the early
Permian period (299 million years ago) and became the
dominant land plant species until the end of the Permian.
The Glossopteris fossil is found in Australia, Antarctica,
India, South Africa, and South America—all the southern
continents. Now, the Glossopteris seed is known to be large
and bulky and therefore could not have drifted or flown
across the oceans to a separate continent. Therefore, the
continents must have been joined at least one point in time in
order to maintain the Glossopteris’ wide range across the
southern continents.
Evidence from Rocks
• Rocks in the Appalachians of North
America and the Caledonides of
Britain and Norway are very
similar and are also similar in age.
• When we fit Europe and North
America together, we find that The
Appalachians and Caledonides
could form a single mountain
chain.
Coal Deposits and Corals
Prepared By: Allyssa Ashley B. Conde