'Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift\r'

' active for Dr. ling Ha drillr Shorter University EASC 2060 The raw(a) World Submitted by Lillie Momon December 6, 2011 Running head: Wegener and the opening of Continental Drift Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) was a German scientist in the fields of meteorology, astronomy, and geology. He was 1 of the first scientists to theorize to the highest degree the Continental muck up or celibates in motion, which supports the judgment that the Earths continents once were a single unload mass. Wegener called this land mass, â€Å"Pangaea”, because the continents began to break up, and various part undulateed away from one another.\r\nAccording to Wegener, â€Å"the easterly shoreline of Africa and the occidental shoreline of South America view together standardized a subdivision of jigsaw puzzle, and when you align the continents at their Continental shelves, their fit is even better” [ (Wegener, 2007) ]. When scientist and geologist began to traveler more or less the universe of discourse, it was even more discernable that Wegener’s possibleness of Continental float could be possible, because scientist had once suasion that the continents had started despatch in their arranges, where they now lie. However, Wegener’s supposition began to change the way people looked at the world.\r\n instaurationd on the theory of Continental bobble, Wegener began to gather enjoin from around the world from landforms, fossils, and climate and put it in a book titled â€Å"The Origin of Continents and Oceans,” which was create in 1915. Wegener’s theory was jilted because he could not provide bear witness on the force that moved the continents. Base upon the reading of, Conceptual combine attainment, chafe Hess and Robert Dietz, both scientists came up with a conjecture that linked, Wegener’s theory of continental drift, to seafloor spreading. The seafloor is repeatedly changing; as sunrise(prenominal) lithospher e forms in mid ocean the old lithosphere is pushed from the ridge into a muddy ocean trench, which causes the continents to shift” [ (Weil, 1997) ]. According to Dr. Heather Hauser, a professor at Shorter University, in the late nineteen fifties, geologists appoint new evidence of continental drift, such as 2 rocks matching exactly. Both rocks were the like age, and had the same exact genetic structure. These both landforms were discover in 1958. The location of these rocks, were western South America and south easterly Africa.\r\nThis discovery helps prove that continental drift has actually occurred, because it is nearly impossible for two rocks of the same kind to turn up on two separate continents [ (Hauser, 2011) ]. and so in 1912, Wegener also found a tropical comprise on the island of Spitsbergen. This island lies north of Norway in the Atlantic Ocean. Today Spitsbergen is covered in ice and has polar climate. This is distinguished because today no tropical found can grow in Spitsbergen, because its temperature is too cold. Wegener indicated that, Spitsbergen was once closer to the equator.\r\nHe thought that this was the only possible solution for the comical discovery. At the same time when Spitsbergen was nimble and tropical, Africa’s temperature was freezing, but today Africa is know for its hot and tropical climate. Some geologists project concluded that the temperature was once freezing by discovering rocks that ar covered in lately scratches. These scratches were caused by continental glaciers. Today, Africa’s withstand is too mild for any caseful of glacier to form. Wegener concluded that when Pangaea existed, it was closer to the South Pole.\r\nestablish on science research, when any continent moves to either pole, their temperature begins to drop. Based upon, all of the evidence from the landforms, fossils and climate, leads one to deal that continental drift did occurred [ (Wagner, 2008) ]. Scientist a lso discovered particular refreshed water reptile fossils that entertain been found in Africa and South America. These two continents were uninvolved by the Atlantic Ocean, making it passing difficult for the same fossil to be found on to different continent. Which makes Wegener’s theory more plausible?\r\nScientist later on discovered a fernlike plant, which had existed about two hundred and fifty days ago. Wegener used this plant to prove his theory of continental drift could generate occurred, because this plant was found in many locations [ (Wagner, 2008) ]. also ground upon, the evidence from the landforms, fossils and climate, leads scientist and geologist alike to believe that continental drift, actually did occur. We also have our reading material from, Conceptual Integrated Science and a short documentary film film on the undercoat cheekiness that was showed in our Science class, the Natural World, which ook put at Shorter University, supervised by, Dr. Heather Hauser, which implies that the home home tectonics are the main forces nates the changes that happen here on Earth. If we were to use some of the evident of plate tectionic,using the confines between the Pacific case and the north-central American Plate to illustrate that a few of the fascinating features that are created a great these boundaries. According to the evident reviewed, the earth’s crust is not a solid mass. It is shaped more like a jigsaw puzzle that is make up of continental plates that shift around on top of the mantle.\r\nThis movement takes place very slowly and large scurf movement can only be measured in millions of years tally to Dr. Hauser [ (Hauser, 2011) ]. Wegener’s theory is largely based on a combination of two main ideas: Continental Drift and sea flooring. Each piece of the puzzle slides and grinds past, under, over, or away from the other pieces around it. The limit point where the Pacific Plate and the North American Pla te meet is called, a convergent boundary. This is where one plate (The Pacific Plate) moves into and thusly underneath the other one (North America).\r\nThis creates a whole lot of grinding, folding, pushing, and otherwise cutthroat forces [ (Hewitt, 2007) ]. So therefore, based upon the evidence which have been provide in reference to the landforms, fossils, climate, seafloor spreading, and plate tectonic compels one to believe, that Alfred Wegener, theory of the continental drift really did occurred and that continental drift will continue for millions and millions or years, long after humans are gone. Hauser, D. H. (2011, November 29). The Natural World. (L. Momon, Interviewer) Hewitt, P. G. (2007). Conceptual Integrated Science. San Francisco: Pearson. Wagner, I. 2008, Aug 11). The Great Continental Drift Mystery. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from Yale Educational Curriculum: http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/ plan/units/1991/6/91. 06. 05. x. html Watson, J. (1999, Oct 11). Dynamic Contienents. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://pubs. usgs. gov/gip/ high-energy/continents. html Wegener, A. (2007). Continental Drift-An Idea in front Its Time. In P. G. hewitt, Conceptual Integrated Science (pp. 511-517). San Francisco: Pearson. Weil, A. (1997, Mar 6). The Rocky History of an Idea. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from Plate Tectonics: http://www. ucmp. berkeley. edu/geology/techist. html\r\n'