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Who is Alfred Wegener?
A German polar researcher and meteorologist known for proposing the theory of continental drift, suggesting that continents were once joined and have since drifted apart.
Which 4 lines of evidence did he use to propose continental
drift?
1-Coastline fit evidence
2-Matching rock formations
3 - Glaciation Evidence
4 - Fossil Evidence
Why was Continental Drift not accepted when it was proposed
in the early 1900s?
he could not explain how or why the continents moved
How do we study the ocean floor?
Bathymetry is the study of underwater depth of ocean floors, using techniques such as sonar mapping to create detailed topographic maps of the seafloor.
Continental Shelf
gently sloping, submerged surface of continent
Why is the abyssal plain so flat? Are sediments thicker on older ocean floor?
Thick accumulation of sediment buries rugged relief of ocean floor, resulting in a flat surface
The older the ocean floor, the thicker the sediment
What is an ocean trench?
- Long, deep underwater troughs
- Deepest part of the Earth
seamounts
- underwater volcanic mountain
- does not break the ocean surface
How does hotspot volcanism provide evidence for Continental Drift?
- upwelling of molten rock from the mantle
- generally stays in one place
- series of volcanoes suggests movement of plates across
stationary hotspot
How does GPS data provide evidence for Continental Drift?
Reveals movement direction rock blocks
How does the changing location of Earth’s magnetic poles (apparent polar wander) provide evidence for Continental Drift?
It shows that continents have moved over geological time as the magnetic orientation of rocks changes with their formation at mid-ocean ridges.
What is bathymetry?
the study of underwater depth of ocean floors or lake beds, involving the measurement of the sea floor's topography and geological features.
Continental Slope
- steep slope
- boundary between continent and ocean
Abyssal plain
- deep, flat ocean floor
Oceanic Ridge
- Underwater mountain range
- Circles globe
- Rift valley comparable to deepest and
widest section of the Grand Canyon
Volcanic Islands
- Volcanic mountain that breaks through ocean surface
Guyouts
inactive volcanic island eroded
to below the ocean surface
