Admin What evidence was found in tropical Africa and South America most strongly support the theory that continents were once joined?
identical fossil species
He reasoned that it was physically impossible for most of these organisms to have swum or have been transported across the vast oceans. To him, the presence of identical fossil species along the coastal parts of Africa and South America was the most compelling evidence that the two continents were once joined.
When examining rocks from both sides of the Mid Atlantic Ridge scientists found evidence of?
2. Examining rocks that form on either side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge provides evidence of plate movement that supports the theory of plate tectonics.
What replaces the rock as it moves away?
Hess suggested that if the ocean floor is moving, the continents might be moving as well. How does new sea floor form? As the ocean floor spreads apart at a mid-ocean ridge, magma rises to fill the rift and then cools to form new rock. As this process is repeated over millions of years, new sea floor forms.
Why was Pangaea not accepted?
Despite having this geological and paleontological evidence, Wegener’s theory of continental drift was not accepted by the scientific community, because his explanation of the driving forces behind continental movement (which he said stemmed from the pulling force that created Earth’s equatorial bulge or the …
What happens to the rock along the ridge when new molten material erupts?
As the molten material cools, it forms a strip of solid rock in the center of the ridge. Then more molten material splits apart the strip of solid rock that formed before, pushing it aside. This process, called sea-floor spreading, continually adds new material to the ocean floor.
Are continents still moving?
Today, we know that the continents rest on massive slabs of rock called tectonic plates. The plates are always moving and interacting in a process called plate tectonics. The continents are still moving today. The two continents are moving away from each other at the rate of about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) per year.