What is the theory of continental drift and seafloor spreading?
Continental Drift and Seafloor Spreading. In 1965, a Canadian geophysicist, J. Tuzo Wilson, combined the continental drift and seafloor spreading hypotheses to propose the theory of plate tectonics. Tuzo said that Earth’s crust, or lithosphere, was divided into large, rigid pieces called plates.
What are the limitations of Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis?
Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis did not state that the continents were arranged into a supercontinent many millions of years ago. Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis did not give an accurate estimate for the length of time involved in continent motion.
How do volcanoes determine the direction of continental drift?
D. A chain of volcanoes known as „hot spot tracks“ can determine the direction of continental drift. E. The continents of South America and Africa fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. How does the lithosphere differ from the asthenosphere?
What does deep-sea drilling indicate about the age of Earth’s sediments?
A. Deep-sea drilling indicates that sediments increase in age with increasing distance from spreading ridges. B. A single supercontinent consisting of all Earth’s landmasses once existed. C. Convective flow in the mantle is the underlying driving force of continental drift.
How did Wegener prove the continental drift theory?
Wegener also noticed that if you could shove western Europe and Africa together with North and South America, their coastlines would fit together very neatly. All this evidence led Wegener to believe that the continents were once connected but had separated and drifted apart. In 1915, Wegener proposed his continental drift theory.
How did scientists determine that mid-ocean ridges were formed by Seafloor volcanoes?
The scientists also observed that the crest of the ridges had a topography that closely resembled volcanic rift zones on land. At their crests, they had V-shaped central valleys with steep faults on either side. This evidence led early marine geologists to deduce that the mid-ocean ridges were formed by seafloor volcanoes.