Evidence of Continental Drift

Alfred Wegener - The theory of continental drift

• 1912, he published his theory of continental drift, he used evidence that suggested that Pangaea (supercontinent) had broken up. The initial spilt led to Laurasia (NC) and Gondwanaland (SC) . These two land masses later divided and drifted into there present position.

Continental Fit 

• Continents look as though they fit together, due to there continental shelf.

Mountain Ranges and Geological Structures 

• Matching geological units : rocks of similar age,type and formation are found in both SE Brazil and south Africa.
• Matching mountain belts : If North America and Europe are pushed together mountain belts such as the Appalachians match up with other mountain belts in the Uk and Europe
• Coal Deposits : In N. America, GB, NW Europe and Antartica. Coal only forms in warm wet conditions - which are not in current locations.
• Desert sandstones : In places like Chesire, as the temperature has never been so high, the land mass must have moved 

Past Glaciations

• He discovered that if S. America,Africa,India,Australia and Antartica are put together in a certain way, geological evidence of glaciations indicates that there was a south polar ice cap which included all those continents. This explained why there where erratics and glacial striations in some african countries.

Fossils

• Identical fossil…