Drifting of Continents and Plate Tectonics — Chapter Summary
ICSE · Class 11 · Geography
Summary of Drifting of Continents and Plate Tectonics for ICSE Class 11 Geography. Part of the ICSE Class 11 Geography syllabus.
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Overview
Continental drift and plate tectonics explain how the Earth's surface changes over time. Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents were once joined together as one supercontinent called Pangaea and later drifted apart. Later, plate tectonics gave a wider and stronger explanation by showing that th
Key Concepts
Alfred Wegener proposed in 1912
Alfred Wegener proposed in 1912 and revised in 1924 that the continents were once joined together and later drifted apart. He was mainly interested in
Pangaea was the supercontinent formed
Pangaea was the supercontinent formed in the upper Carboniferous period when all major landmasses were joined together. It was surrounded by the vast
Laurasia was the northern part
Laurasia was the northern part of Pangaea and included North America, Europe, and Asia. Gondwanaland was the southern part and included South America,
Wegener used the jig
Wegener used the jig-saw fit of coastlines, ancient mountain belts, fossil distribution, gold deposits in Ghana and Brazil, Permo-Carboniferous glacia
The theory was criticised because
The theory was criticised because the coastline fit was not perfect, the proposed forces were too weak, the direction of drift was disputed, and the b
Learning Objectives
- Explain Wegener's Continental Drift Theory and its main ideas
- Describe the evidence used to support continental drift
- Understand the criticisms raised against Wegener's theory
- Explain sea-floor spreading and its role in changing ocean basins
- Describe the main features of plate tectonics
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