GEOG 1HB3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 52: Continental Drift, Anastomosis, Paleomagnetism
14 Apr 2018
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Students should be aware of wegener"s amassed evidence for continental drift. The fit of coastal outlines and the distribution of rocks, fossils, and ancient climatic belts all strongly suggest that the continents were once aligned to form a supercontinent named pangaea. Wegener"s ideas had few supporters during his lifetime at least in part because he could not provide a workable mechanism through which continents could move with respect to one another. During the twentieth century, paleomagnetic data showed that continents must have drifted, because the rocks of isolated continents produce unequal apparent polar-wander paths for the north magnetic pole. Streams and rivers flow in channels; there are three types of channel patterns: Two or more channels that have intervening islands where sediment is temporarily stored. Islands are more stable than those in braided channels and are formed of silt or clay that may support vegetation.
