Alfred Wegener
This scientist developed the hypothesis that became known as "continental drift."
Who is Alfred Wegener?
Occurs where two plates are pushing against each other.
What is convergent boundaries?
This forms when two continental plates collide?
What is a mountain
What was the first piece of evidence that led scientists to believe that the continents were once stuck together?
What is the appearance that the continents fit together like a puzzle.
The lithosphere is broken up into several large slabs called what?
What are plates.
What is the appearance that the coastlines of Africa and South America look liked they might fit together.
Occurs where two plates are pulling apart or moving away from each other.
What is divergent boundaries?
This forms when two continental plates diverge.
What is seafloor spreading or a Rift Valley.
Wegener discovered evidence that the same _____ were found along the coasts of these continents, although they were now separated by vast oceans.
What are plant and animal fossils?
What is the border between two tectonic plates called?
What is a boundary
This is the country where Wegener is from.
What is Germany
Occurs where two plates slide past each other.
What is a transform boundary?
This occurs if two plates rub against each other at a transform boundary.
What is an earthquake?
In addition to fossils, Wegener noticed that geologic formations, such as these, were on the two continents and also matched up.
What are mountains?
The San Andreas fault in California is a famous type of what kind of boundary?
What is a transform boundary
This is the word that Wegener used to describe the original landmass (or supercontinent) was once in one large mass.
What is "Pangaea"?
Occurs when one plate gets pulled under another plate.
What is a subduction zone or subduction?
Divergent plates in the ocean causes what to form?
New seafloor or seafloor spreading
What is "how" the continents were moving.
How does each plate get its name?
This is Wegener's book published in 1915.
What is The Origin of Continents and Oceans.
When an oceanic and continental plate collide, which plate goes under the other?
The oceanic plate because it is more dense.
The boundary where two oceanic plates collide can cause this.
Another piece of evidence was found by measuring the age of the seafloor. Scientists found a major difference between the crust at the mid-ocean ridges and higher on the continents. What was the difference?
The age of the crust is younger or newer at the mid-ocean ridges suggesting that new seafloor is formed here.
How many major tectonic plates are there?
15