The Theory of Plate Tectonics

Theory:

In 1912 a German, Alfred Wegener, published his theory of Continental Drift that a single continent existed about 300 million years ago this continent he called Panjaea.  Also he believed that this super continent had split up into two smaller continents of Laurasia in the North and Gondwanaland in the south. Todays continents were formed by further splitting of these two masses.

Evidence for this:

Geological Evidence -

.Evidence of the glaciation of the late Carboniferous peroid (290 million years ago), deposits from which are found in South America Antartica and India. Thus suggesting these continents would have formed together and then moved.

. Rock sequences in Northern Scotland closely agree with those found in eastern Canada, indicating that they were laid down under the same conditions in one location

Biological -

- fossil remain of the reptile Mesosaurus are found in both South America and Southern Africa. It is highly unlikely it could have migrated over the atlantic.

-fossil Brachiopods found in Indian Limestone are compareable with the similar fossils in Australia.

-Uk has deposits of coal which only occurs in rainforest conditions

Further Development of the Theory.

-Wegners theories were unable to explain how conitinental…