GEOL 11: PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY 2nd Year
1st Sem
LESSON 3: Continental Drift Theory S.Y 2023 - 2024
CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE FOR PLATE MOTION
-Proposed by Alfred Wegener (early 1900’s) 1. Paleomagnetism and Polar Wandering
-Panthalassa -Oldest magnetite = 500 million years
● All sea -Older magnetites
-A supercontinent called Pangaea began breaking ● Facing each other
apart into smaller continents about 200 million -Asymmetry
years ago and further “drifted” to their present ● Other plates get subducted
positions -Older crust
● Farther from center
Pangaea
-Passive margin
● No subduction
Laurasia Gondwanaland
-Active margin
North America Africa
● Active subduction
Europe India
Asia Australia
2. Magnetic Reversal
Antarctic
-Magnetic strips on the ocean floor
-How to record magnetic reversal
● Magnetic minerals aligning themselves to
Evidences of continental drift theory existing magnetic
1. Continental Jigsaw Puzzle Fit
3. Hot Spot Volcanism
-Long-lasting hot regions below the lithosphere
2. Fossil match across Continents -Frame of reference for tracking plate motion
-Lystrosaurus -Time elapse = age of volcanism
-Glossopteris
-Mesosaurus 4. Seismicity and Plate Boundaries
-Deep earthquakes
3. Rock type and Geologic features ● > 150 km
-Appalochian-Caledonian mountains ● Location of subducting slabs
-Shallow earthquakes
4. Paleoclimate ● Regions of rifting
-“Old climate”
-Coal seams in Northern Hemisphere with tropical
trees PLATE TECTONICS THEORY
-Glacial fill -Result of Continental Drift theory, Seafloor
● Remains (rocks) of glaciers Spreading, and other evidences
-Unifying theory of Geology
-Lithosphere composed of segments (tectonic
opposition plates)
-Plates in constant motion relative to one another
Mechanism for Continent Movement
-Tides?
-Continents broke through the oceanic crust? Major plates
-North America
South America
1st Sem
LESSON 3: Continental Drift Theory S.Y 2023 - 2024
CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE FOR PLATE MOTION
-Proposed by Alfred Wegener (early 1900’s) 1. Paleomagnetism and Polar Wandering
-Panthalassa -Oldest magnetite = 500 million years
● All sea -Older magnetites
-A supercontinent called Pangaea began breaking ● Facing each other
apart into smaller continents about 200 million -Asymmetry
years ago and further “drifted” to their present ● Other plates get subducted
positions -Older crust
● Farther from center
Pangaea
-Passive margin
● No subduction
Laurasia Gondwanaland
-Active margin
North America Africa
● Active subduction
Europe India
Asia Australia
2. Magnetic Reversal
Antarctic
-Magnetic strips on the ocean floor
-How to record magnetic reversal
● Magnetic minerals aligning themselves to
Evidences of continental drift theory existing magnetic
1. Continental Jigsaw Puzzle Fit
3. Hot Spot Volcanism
-Long-lasting hot regions below the lithosphere
2. Fossil match across Continents -Frame of reference for tracking plate motion
-Lystrosaurus -Time elapse = age of volcanism
-Glossopteris
-Mesosaurus 4. Seismicity and Plate Boundaries
-Deep earthquakes
3. Rock type and Geologic features ● > 150 km
-Appalochian-Caledonian mountains ● Location of subducting slabs
-Shallow earthquakes
4. Paleoclimate ● Regions of rifting
-“Old climate”
-Coal seams in Northern Hemisphere with tropical
trees PLATE TECTONICS THEORY
-Glacial fill -Result of Continental Drift theory, Seafloor
● Remains (rocks) of glaciers Spreading, and other evidences
-Unifying theory of Geology
-Lithosphere composed of segments (tectonic
opposition plates)
-Plates in constant motion relative to one another
Mechanism for Continent Movement
-Tides?
-Continents broke through the oceanic crust? Major plates
-North America
South America
