Continental Drift Theory

Presentation By:

Sarath Babu.M.G

Acknowledgement to :

Asha Krishnan, Rojin Jacob and Sunu Manoharan

Introduction In 1912, a German Scholar

Alfred Lothar Wegener Proposed the Concept of “Continental Drift Theory ”

In 1924, the theory became popular in the scientific world

Wegener hypothesized that the continents were slowly drifting around the Earth.

Alfred Lothar Wegener

Theory The continents part sial floats

on the oceanic part sima

There was only one continent called, Pangea at the beginning

It was surrounded by a large and deep ocean, Panthalassa.

Drifiting

Drifiting

Stages of Drifting

• At Later stage, certain portion of this landmass drifted towards north and west

Formation of Atlantic Ocean• As a result, Atlantic

Ocean were formed and in between Americas and Europe- Africa.

India Indian Sub-continent drifted

northwards results the formation of Himalayas

The Himalayas were formed by the converging of the Eurasian plate and the Indian plate.

Antarctica• All the Southern lands

broke apart the central part of it drifted towards south pole to form Antarctica

Evidences

Evidences 1 Evidences of Jig-saw fit of

Coastlines of western Europe & Western Africa on one side and North & South America on the other side

Evidences 2 Similarities of Fossils from the

both sides of continents of Atlantic Ocean

• Glossopteris

• Cynognathus

• Mesosaurus

• Lystrosaurus

Evidences 3 Evidences left by the ice age in the continents during the Permian and Carboniferous period

Evidence 4Pattern of global

distribution of fold mountains

Criticism

Criticisms The theory does not indicate

any force bring about drift of the continents

This theory presupposes sima to be floating over it.

Several critics say that different continents can fit in the other to be a certain extend only.

Some questioned about the time and direction of the drift.

Conclusion

ConclusionInspite of all criticism the

resemblances between the continents, Wegner has uncovered are definite proofs that this solid land we stand on has been a good deal of a footloose wanderer in its time

Questions ?

Thank you