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    Earth Sci.4

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    omnia ghonem
    The document discusses three hypotheses: the continental drift hypothesis proposed that continents were once joined in a supercontinent and have since moved to their current positions. The seafloor spreading hypothesis explains how new crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, causing the plates to move apart over time. The theory of plate tectonics integrates these ideas and explains how plate movements have shaped the Earth's evolution.

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    Earth Sci.4

    Uploaded by

    omnia ghonem
    15 views15 pages
    The document discusses three hypotheses: the continental drift hypothesis proposed that continents were once joined in a supercontinent and have since moved to their current positions. The seafloor spreading hypothesis explains how new crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, causing the plates to move apart over time. The theory of plate tectonics integrates these ideas and explains how plate movements have shaped the Earth's evolution.

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    Earth Science lecture 4

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    The document discusses three hypotheses: the continental drift hypothesis proposed that continents were once joined in a supercontinent and have since moved to their current positions. The seafloor spreading hypothesis explains how new crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, causing the plates to move apart over time. The theory of plate tectonics integrates these ideas and explains how plate movements have shaped the Earth's evolution.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    15 views15 pages

    Earth Sci.4

    Uploaded by

    omnia ghonem
    The document discusses three hypotheses: the continental drift hypothesis proposed that continents were once joined in a supercontinent and have since moved to their current positions. The seafloor spreading hypothesis explains how new crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, causing the plates to move apart over time. The theory of plate tectonics integrates these ideas and explains how plate movements have shaped the Earth's evolution.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pdf or txt
    of 15

    Environment

    and Earth Science


    LRA301

    Rasha Tharwat
    Assistant Professor in Geophysics
    Plate Tectonics

    Explain the concepts of


    the following hypothesis:

    ➢ Continental drift hypothesis,


    ➢ Seafloor spreading hypothesis,
    ➢ Theory of plate tectonics.
    Lithospheric Plates

    There are seven major plates

    1. The Pacific Plate


    (which covers 1/5 of the Earth)
    2. North American
    3. South American
    4. Eurasian
    5. African
    6. Indo-Australian
    7. Antarctic Plates

    There are also Many smaller plates


    1. Caribbean
    2. Arabian
    Continental
    drift hypothesis
    • The continental drift hypothesis was developed
    in the early part of the 20th century, mostly by
    Alfred Wegener, Published The Origin of
    Continents and Oceans, 1915.

    • German scientist Alfred Wegener proposed


    that the continents were once united into a
    single supercontinent named Pangaea,
    meaning all earth in ancient Greek.

    • He suggested that Pangaea broke up long ago


    and that the continents then moved to their
    current positions. He called his hypothesis
    continental drift.
    Continental
    drift
    hypothesis

    continent can be
    pieced together
    like a puzzle
    Continental drift hypothesis

    • Evidence used by Wegener


    • Fit of South America and Africa
    • Fossils match across the seas
    • Rock types and structures match
    • Ancient climates (Paleoclimate)
    • Fit of South
    America and Africa

    Matching Coastlines of Continents


    The fit is even better if the continental
    shelf is included; during past ages of
    low sea levels, that would have been
    the coastline.
    • Fossils match
    across the seas
    Fossil
    (The preserved remains of ancient organisms)

    found on both of the continents of Africa and South


    America that are of the same organism, for
    example:

    • Extinct reptile called Mesosaurus was


    found on opposite ends of the Atlantic Ocean.

    • Glossopteris: a fern found on the


    southern continents

    •
    • Rock types and
    structures match
    Wegener’s matching of mountain
    ranges on different continents

    - Mountain ranges with the same rock


    types, structures, and ages are now on
    opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
    •
    • Ancient climates
    Glacial deposits (evidence of past
    continental glaciation) found in
    continents far from the polar regions
    of
    • today (Antarctica)
    Seafloor spreading
    hypothesis

    • In this hypothesis, hot floating


    mantle rises up a mid-ocean
    ridge, causing the ridge to rise
    upward. The hot magma at the
    ridge erupts as lava that forms
    new seafloor. When the lava
    cools, the magnetite crystals take
    on the current magnetic polarity
    and as more lava erupts, it
    pushes the seafloor horizontally
    away from ridge axis.
    seafloor spreading
    hypothesis

    The magnetic stripes continue


    across the seafloor. As oceanic
    crust forms and spreads, moving
    away from the ridge crest, it pushes
    the continent away from the ridge
    axis.

    Seafloor spreading is the


    mechanism for Wegener’s drifting
    continents. Convection currents
    within the mantle take the
    continents on a conveyor-belt ride of
    oceanic crust that over millions of
    years takes them around the
    planet’s surface.
    Theory of Plate Tectonics
    • Tectonics:
    refers to the branch of geology that is concerned with plate movements

    Theory of Plate Tectonics: Links together the ideas of


    continental drift and sea floor spreading
    to explain how the Earth has evolved over time.

    It explains the formation, movements,


    collisions, and destruction of the
    Earth’s crust or the Earth’s uppermost
    layer, called the lithosphere, is made
    up of plates
    Tectonic Plate Boundaries

    Plate boundaries are the edges where two plates meet. Most geologic activities, including
    volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building, take place at plate boundaries.

    How can two plates move relative to each


    other?

    • Divergent plate boundaries:


    the two plates move away from each other.

    • Transform plate boundaries:


    the two plates slip past each other.

    • Convergent plate boundaries:


    the two plates move towards each other.
    2.

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