EAR 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Continental Drift, Meteorology, Supercontinent
16 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Wrote the origins of oceans and continents in 1915. Suggested that land masses slowly move (continental drift) Hypothesized a former supercontinent known as pangaea. Geologist before wegener (and after) were against the theory of continental drift. Early geologists thought that the oceans and the continents were permanently fixed. Shorelines make a rough git and the continental shelf edges make a better fit. Evidence of past glaciations in warm areas. Glacial evidence of past glaciers found on four continents, not at the poles. Ex. glacial polished surfaces in south australia (a subtropical climate) Coal swamp, salt deposits, desert sand, reefs, etc. in a picture of pangaea matched up. Land dwelling fossil organisms from specific environments found on areas that were on connected parts of pangaea. Rock types and other geologic features (ex. Mountain belts connect across the atlantic) match up across oceans. Wegener could not explain how or why continents moved.
